Potatoes are one of the world’s key food crops. Their nutritional value, and the fact that they can be grown with relatively few inputs in a wide range of environments, makes them an important food security crop. However, yields in developing countries are held back by factors such as poor cultivation practices and the impact of pests and diseases, whilst more intensive systems need to become more ‘climate smart’ both to minimise their environmental impact and adapt to climate change.

This volume reviews general developments in breeding as well as improving particular traits before discussing the challenges facing potato cultivation in particular regions. Part 1 assesses recent research on plant physiology and genetic diversity and their implications for conventional, hybrid and marker-assisted breeding. Part 2 looks at ways of breeding varieties with desirable traits such as stress resistance or improved nutritional quality. The final part of the book looks at ways of supporting smallholders in regions such as Africa and Latin America. Although a separate species, the book also includes selective coverage of research on sweet potato.

With its distinguished editor and international team of expert authors, this will be a standard reference for potato scientists, growers, government and non-government agencies supporting potato cultivation. This volume is accompanied by a companion volume looking at production and storage, diseases and sustainability.

Part 1 Plant physiology and breeding
1.Advances in understanding potato plant physiology and growth: Curtis M. Frederick, University of Wisconsin, USA; Masahiko Mori, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Japan; and Paul C. Bethke, USDA-ARS and University of Wisconsin, USA;
2.Understanding ageing processes in seed potatoes: Paul C. Struik, Wageningen University & Research, The Netherlands;
3.Ensuring the genetic diversity of potatoes: John Bamberg and Shelley Jansky, USDA-ARS, USA; Alfonso del Rio, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA; and Dave Ellis, International Potato Center (CIP), Peru;
4.Advances in conventional potato-breeding techniques: Jai Gopal, ICAR-Central Potato Research Institute, India;
5.Hybrid potato breeding for improved varieties: Pim Lindhout, Michiel de Vries, Menno ter Maat, Su Ying, Marcela Viquez-Zamora and Sjaak van Heusden, Solynta, The Netherlands;

Part 2 Improving particular traits
6.Advances in development of potato varieties resistant to abiotic stress: Ankush Prashar and Filipe de Jesus Colwell, Newcastle University, UK; and Csaba Hornyik and Glenn J. Bryan, The James Hutton Institute, UK;
7.Developing early-maturing, stress-resistant potato varieties: Prashant G. Kawar, ICAR-Directorate of Floricultural Research, India; Hemant B. Kardile, Raja S., Som Dutt, Raj Kumar Goyal, Vinay Bhardwaj, B. P. Singh, P. M. Govindakrishnan and S. K. Chakrabarti, ICAR-Central Potato Research Institute, India; and P. Manivel, ICAR-Directorate of Medicinal & Aromatic Plants Research, India;
8.Developing new sweet potato varieties with improved performance: Peng Zhang, Weijuan Fan, Hongxia Wang, Yinliang Wu and Wenzhi Zhou, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China; and Jun Yang, Shanghai Chenshan Plant Science Research Center, Shanghai Chenshan Botanical Garden, China;
9.Nutritional properties and enhancement/bio-fortification of potatoes: Duroy A. Navarre, Washington State University and USDA-ARS, USA; and M. Moehninsi, Sen Lin and Hanjo Hellmann, Washington State University, USA;
10.Improving the breeding, cultivation and use of sweetpotato in Africa: Putri Ernawati Abidin and Edward Ewing Carey, International Potato Center (CIP), Ghana;

Part 3 Translating research into practice: improving cultivation in the developing world
11.Potato production and breeding in China: Liping Jin, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China;
12.Improving potato cultivation to promote food self-sufficiency in Africa: Moses Nyongesa and Nancy Ng’ang’a, Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization, Kenya;
13.Supporting smallholder women farmers in potato cultivation: Linley Chiwona-Karltun, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden; Maryanne Wamahiu, Stockholm University, Sweden; Chikondi Chabvuta, Actionaid International, Malawi; Dianah Ngonyama, Association of African Agricultural Professionals in the Diaspora, USA; and Paul Demo, International Potato Center (CIP), Malawi;