Preserving potato genetic diversity for the future

The potato has saved countless millions from famine over the centuries and it has the potential to make an increasingly important contribution to food and nutrition security as climate change advances. For this to happen, however, the crop’s genetic diversity must be conserved for breeders to be able to develop the resilient and productive potato varieties that farmers and consumers will need in the future.

This is a central message in “Ensuring the genetic diversity of potatoes,” a book chapter co-written by International Potato Center Scientist Emeritus Dave Ellis, Alfonso del Rio, of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and John Bamberg and Shelley Jansky of USDA-ARS.

Continue reading Preserving potato genetic diversity for the future at International Potato Center.