El proyecto de introducción y conservación de papas en los Estados Unidos

Abstract

The article deals with the origin, organization and recent accomplishments of the Inter-Regional Potato Introduction and Preservation Project at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. This Project is essentially a multiple-service potato germ plasm bank which in 1955 listed 80 Solanum species, 146 commercial varieties, over 400 interspecific hybrids and a large number of packets of true seed of diverse sorts. Organized and directed from the Genetics Dept. of the University of Wisconsin, the work is supported cooperatively by 48 States and the United States Department of Agriculture and it goes beyond simple maintenance of stocks. Materials from the main potato collections of the world are received, studied, increased and made available. Besides evaluation of species and clones for resistance to important diseases, artificial tetraploids are formed through the aid of colchicine, and new hybrids between tuber bearing species are made. As a result, tuberizing clones of great potential value are produced, often as tetraploids for immediate crossing with commercial varieties and clones. It is suggested that the Project is a worthy example to follow for a new potato germ plasm bank which has been recommended for possible future establishment in the South American Andes.