Ancient Potato Varieties of the Canary Islands: Their History, Diversity and Origin of the Potato in Europe

Abstract

The journey of the potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) from South America to the rest of the world has generated a prolific literature regarding the discovery of this crop, its early consumption and cultivation in the Old World. An important part of that literature concerns the Canary Islands. The islands were the only exception to the Spanish trade monopoly with the New World, which reserved Seville as the only port for imports and exports to the colonies. The first potatoes to arrive from America, both from the Andes and the Chiloé archipelago, passed through the Canary Islands, and it is likely that the islands were initially the place where this crop became acclimatised. The orography, the volcanic soils, the climate and the intermediate photoperiods of the islands contributed to the acclimatisation of potatoes that came from various origins of America. The current biodiversity of potatoes in the Canary Islands includes different cultivars, such as local ones that arrived from South America after the conquest, which have evolved on the islands and are taxonomically classified as Solanum ssp. tuberosum, Solanum ssp. andigena and Solanum chaucha. These potatoes have been preserved by farmers, generation after generation, with between 600 and 800 ha being devoted to their cultivation (mainly on the island of Tenerife), in a traditional way, though with low productivity, often due to high virus pressure. This article traces the history of ancient potatoes in the Canary Islands and investigates in depth the introduction of potatoes in Europe through the Canary Islands. It contributes to describing the cultivated plant genetic resources of the Solanum spp. as well as their current situation and cultivation. It also describes traditional cultivation practices, the importance of the in situ conservation of theses varieties and the threats that affect them such as the Guatemalan potato moth.