130 new potato varieties identified in Peru
Genetic wealth is highly reflected in the recently-launched “Catalog of Potato Varieties in Native Chugay”. The publication is a contribution to the National Register of Potatoes Native to Peru.
“Sartinera”, “Romancera”, “Shailina Morada”, “Charrona” and “Zurina” are just some of the 130 varieties of native potatoes grown in the community of Chugay (La Libertad) and have been identified, characterized and reflected in a catalog from a joint effort among rural families in the area, the National Institute of Agrarian Innovation (CIAT), the International Potato Center (CIP), the Pataz Association and the District Municipality of Chugay.
The “Catalog of Potato Varieties Native Chugay” constitutes a great contribution to the National Register of Pope Native to Peru, collecting and putting together information about the morphological description of these varieties, their agronomic characteristics, nutritional value and culinary uses. All varieties described in it are accompanied by a graphic representation of their genetic fingerprint, inspired by a “kipu”.
The work also included photographs of Chugay fields of conservation and families of these varieties, which are the fruit of years of work by hundreds of potato farmers, whose knowledge of preservation and maintenance are transmitted from generation to generation are also shown.
The catalog can also be used to monitor the condition of the varieties in the future; as a guide to study new attributes of these varieties, for example in gastronomy, and varieties with commercial potential to generate income, and to have better chances against food insecurity.
“This publication is the evidence that the coordinated work between science and the ancestral knowledge of Andean communities in the country make a virtuous relationship in which everyone wins. The varieties of native potatoes Chugay be added to the National Register of Pope Native to Peru, “said Alberto Maurer Fossa, head of INIA.
Meanwhile, Barbara Wells, director general of the International Potato Center said “The genetic wealth embodied in this catalog values the role of potato farmers in the active management of diversity and represents a baseline of diversity varieties that can be found in a specific region.”
