Native potatoes with antioxidant potential, grown in northern Peru

Abstract

Peru is not only megadiverse in flora and fauna, but also in “native varieties of potatoes” that have been used by pre-Inca civilizations. In this context, “native potatoes” not only have a high nutritional value in antioxidants, but also a high capacity to cure and/or alleviate diseases; providing quality of life that is reflected in the longevity of the Andean population. However, in the absence of documentation and dissemination, many varieties and their ethnobotanical knowledge is being lost. To preserve and disseminate this valuable ancestral knowledge, a taxonomic, phytogeographic and ethnobotanical inventory was carried out, based on periodic botanical explorations during the period 1997-2017. The information obtained was complemented with other researches and reports by other authors. 317 “varieties of native potato” are reported for the North of Peru, of which 86, are “native varieties of colored pulp”.