Sustainable Potato Production: Global Case Studies

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is grown in over 100 countries throughout the world. As a staple food, potato is the fourth most important crop after rice, wheat, and maize, and has historically contributed to food and nutrition security in the world. Global interest in potato increased recently as world food prices soared, threatening the global food security and stability. Unlike major cereals, potato is not a globally traded commodity, and prices are usually determined by local production costs. Thus, potato is increasingly regarded as a vital food-security crop and as a substitute for costly cereal imports. With such importance, the 29 chapters in the edited book address the issues of sustainable potato production. This book begins with an introduction on sustainable potato production and global food security, and then presents eight case studies selected globally and covering different issues relevant to sustainable potato production in both developed and developing countries.Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is grown in over 100 countries throughout the world. As a staple food, potato is the fourth most important crop after rice, wheat, and maize, and has historically contributed to food and nutrition security in the world. Global interest in potato increased recently as world food prices soared, threatening the global food security and stability. Potato is increasingly regarded as a vital food-security crop. With such importance, the 29 chapters in the edited book address the issues of sustainable potato production. This book begins with an introduction on sustainable potato production and global food security, and then presents eight case studies selected globally and covering different issues relevant to sustainable potato production in both developed and developing countries. Each case study consists of 1-5 chapters written by the accomplished experts in relevant fields. All case studies are problem-solving-oriented, and each case study (Part) sets a theme to address the challenging potato production issues in that region. This book discusses a broad spectrum of sustainable and environmentally-friendly potato production techniques. For example, Part II is focused on linking irrigated potato cropping systems to sustainable agriculture in the west USA whereas Part IV reports research on improving nitrogen management in rainfed Potato production in eastern Canada. On the other hand, Part VI discusses the water-saving research (dripping irrigation, plastic mulching, and drought- and salinity-tolerant transgenic potato) in the semi-arid areas of Northern China. This book will serve as a valuable reference source for academic researchers, university faculty, extension specialists, industry professional, international organization coordinators, and government regulators who work and deal with various aspects of potato production managements.