Origin of ancient potato clones cultivated in Tierra del Fuego (Argentina)

PERALTA I. E.; ROIG F. A.; GALMARINI C. R.

Snowbird Resort; Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

Congreso; Botany 2004, Alpine Diversity: adapted to the peaks; 2004

American Society of Plant Taxonomists, Botanical Society of America

During the XIX century establishing orchards were part of the methods used by missionaries to convert the natives and assure their subsistence in the hard conditions of Tierra del Fuego. The first religious Mission and orchard were established in 1832 in the Navarino Island. Another Missions were founded later in the Malvinas Islands (1855), and Ushuaia (1869), where potatoes were the principal cultivated vegetable. In 1895 the city had 225 inhabitants and 3 ha of potatoes, in 1937 the population increased to 1447 and the potato crop to 9 ha. The Chiloe Island is the most probable origin of these cultivated potatoes. In 1953 three different clones found by Ruiz Leal and Roig were still cultivated in Ushuaia. Fifty years later we found the same clones cultivated by few people in home gardens. These potato clones maintained during more than one century and adapted to the high latitudes (550) of the Southern Hemisphere are a valuable and rare genetic resource, that most probably will disappear due to the drastic changes in Tierra del Fuego and need to be preserved.