Research and publications on the potato crop have burgeoned since the
first edition of this book was published in 1978. However, the warm
reception of the first edition suggested that it had a useful part to
play in promoting the scientific basis for understanding and improving
the yield and quality of the crop. Since the first edition was out of
print and a second reprint would not have taken into account the
contributions made by research over the intervening years, it became
obvious that a complete revision was necessary. There was, in
particular, a need to take account of the rapid extension of interest in
the crop into climates and farming systems with which it has not been
traditionally associa, ted. Those involved with the crop will be sadly
aware that a number of contributors to the first edition are no longer
with us. Their contribution to our knowledge of the crop will however be
a permanent legacy of their achievement. I would like to thank all those
who have contributed to the book for their willingness to cooperate in
the difficult task of bringing their particular subject up to date. This
is even more noteworthy for the pressure of time appears to be almost an
order of magnitude higher than it was when the first edition was tackled