We give a finiteness criteria for the potato-peeling p b l m that asks for the largest convex polygon (‘potato’) contained inside a given simple polygon, answering a question of J. Goodman. This leads to a polynomial-time solution of O(n91og M ) . The techniques used turn out to be useful for other cases of what we call the polygon incluswn and enclosure problem. For instance, the largest perim...

Parthenogenesis, a natural form of asexual reproduction produced from unfertilized eggs, occurs in many insects in Hemiptera and Hymenoptera, but very rarely in Lepidoptera. The current study aimed to test the larval density dependent occurrence of parthenogenesis in potato tuber moth, Phthorimaea operculella (Zeller; Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) under laboratory conditions. More than 10% of femal...

This study established a new system for potato transformation using toxoflavin as selection agent and toxoflavin lyase (tflA) as selectable marker gene. Potato plants expressing tflA was successfully transformed on toxoflavin medium with 27% efficiency, similar to that for the hygromycin/hpt selection system. The transgenic potato expressing tflA also showed resistance to Burkholderia glumea in...

The new Liberibacter species, 'Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum' (Lso) recently associated with potato/tomato psyllid-transmitted diseases in tomato and capsicum in New Zealand, was found to be consistently associated with a newly emerging potato zebra chip (ZC) disease in Texas and other southwestern states in the USA. A species-specific primer LsoF was developed for both quantitative real...

The present study was conducted to assess the suitability of blends of two sweet potato (creamand yellowflesh) varieties and maize flours in the preparation of crunchy snacks. Each of the sweet potato varieties was prepared into flour and separately blended with 0, 30 and 50% of maize flour. The blends were evaluated for proximate composition, mineral content, vitamin content, anti-nutrient fac...

Two digestion experiments were conducted to determine the effect of various levels of potato processing residue in feedlot diets on digestion of dry matter, gross energy, crude protein and starch. In Exp. 1, 10 Hereford steers (average weight 360 kg) were randomly allotted to one of five diets in which (1) 0, (2) 15, (3) 30, (4) 45 or (5) 60% of diet dry matter was provided by potato processing...

Field sweet potato plants showing virus-like symptoms, as stunting, leaf distortion, mosaic and chlorosis, were collected in southwest Portugal and tested for the presence of four potyviruses, sweet potato virus C (SPVC), sweet potato virus 2 (SPV2), sweet potato feathery mottle virus (SPFMV), sweet potato virus G (SPVG), and the crinivirus sweet potato chlorotic stunt virus (SPCSV). DsRNA frac...

The potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) had its start in the Andean highlands of South America, where archeological evidence indicates it has been cultivated for at least 8,000 years (72). Today it is grown on all continents except Antarctica. Serving as a primary food source to indigenous people when the Spanish explorers arrived in Peru in the mid-1500s, the potato traveled the globe as a valuable ...

To facilitate genome-guided breeding in potato, we developed an 8303 Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) marker array using potato genome and transcriptome resources. To validate the Infinium 8303 Potato Array, we developed linkage maps from two diploid populations (DRH and D84) and compared these maps with the assembled potato genome sequence. Both populations used the doubled monoploid refer...

OBJECTIVE Consumption of high levels of simple carbohydrates is associated with several metabolic disorders in humans and in laboratory animals, including symptoms of an early stage of metabolic syndrome (syndrome X). This disorder has several cardiovascular risk factors, such as hypertriglyceridemia, and is associated with an increase in oxidative stress. In contrast to sucrose, potato, a sour...