Approaches for Potato Crop Improvement and Stress Management

Book excerpt: This edited book provides an all-inclusive coverage of latest research in crop improvement and stress management in potato crop. It is composed of 17 chapters covering breeding, diseases & pest management with the view to enhancing the total production and quality under the scenario of climate change. The book also explores harvesting, storage, post-harvest management, and processing of potato. The book has special focus on the use of high throughput next generation sequencing (NGS) techniques, modern genomics tools, genome editing techniques such as CRISPR systems that could help the potato breeding programs and, also in development of biotic and abiotic stress resistant varieties. Potato is the world’s third most important food crop after wheat and rice in terms of human consumption. It is the staple crop providing maximum nutrients per unit area, time and money and is the most versatile crop with the highest industrial production potential in India being the second largest potato producing country after China. As a major food crop, the potato has the most important role to play in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals’ 2030 Agenda for zero hunger, achieving food security, improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture. This book is unique in its approach for providing in depth knowledge enabling readers to learn the subject fully on different strategies, new perspectives and fully understanding different topics of diversity, interaction and improvement for stress management in potato. It is a relevant reading material for researchers, students, practitioners and other stakeholders involved in improvement of potato crop.