SOLANUM SECT. PETOTA IN GUATEMALA - TAXONOMY AND GENETIC-RESOURCES

There are five wild potato species in Guatemala: Solanum agrimonifoliu m, S. bulbocastanum, S. clarum, S. demissum, and S. morelliforme. We c onducted a collecting expedition there from September 11 to November 5 , 1995. The goals of the expedition were to gather field data for taxo nomic studies of the five species of Guatemalan wild potatoes and to c ollect potato germplasm. Our 43 true seed collections nearly quadruple the available wild potato germplasm for Guatemala, provide germplasm from most previously known localities, and add new ones. We provide a systematic treatment of Guatemalan wild potatoes, geographic and logis tical data for collecting wild potatoes in Guatemala, statistics on hu man population growth and deforestation to help explain decline of wil d potato populations, recommend areas for future collecting, and sugge st two areas as in-situ reserves for wild potatoes.