Tuber Quality

Abstract

The potato is one of the major staple food crops and appears to be particularly well adapted to growth in Northern latitudes but attempts are now being made to introduce it into the lowland areas of the tropics and to improve its protein quality and ocntent (International Potato Centre, 1973). Its major centres of production are N. Europe and the U.S.S.R. which account for nearly 70% of the world acreage and over 75% of total output. In contrast, the U.S.A. and Canada together only account for 3% of world acreage but 6% of production. Of the European production 52% is grown in Poland and the Federal and Democratic Republics of Germany (Anonymous, 1972a). Although in these casea a proportion is used for industrial starch and alcohol production, consumption is generally higher than elsewhere and up to 175 kg/person/annum are reputedly consumed in Poland (see Burton, 1974).