This comprehensive book is the result of the Potato Russia international conference that took place in August 2007 in Moscow. It begins with a series of papers that give an excellent overview of consumer behaviour and marketing with examples from various countries in the world. The quality of processing and ware potato and methods of quantifying it, is addressed by papers that highlight its need and reveal new approaches and techniques. The newest developments in technology, mechanization and storage are highlighted in papers from eastern and western Europe. The importance and benefits of having adequately functioning seed potato systems with up to date rapid multiplication systems is shown in chapters from various countries with a special contribution on the commercial quality standards of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). Developments of recent agronomic and crop management practices are illustrated with examples of countries in technological and market transition. Innovations in crop protection put special emphasis on diagnostics and detection of resistance levels, among others, against wart. The extensive Russian breeding programmes - with value for the global potato community are highlighted in the breeding section with additional papers from Japan and the Netherlands. The book ends with a series of papers on molecular aspects of innovative breeding.

This book is of wide and ongoing interest to stakeholders around the world who are interested in all aspects of the rapidly evolving potato supply chains such as potato producers, breeding, chemical and machinery companies and potato specialists of all disciplines.