Abstract:

Potato is a foreign crop, and its introduction and spread in Yunnan played an important role in solving social, economic, cultural and religious problems since the Ming and Qing Dynasty. After textual criticism, this paper discussed the time and main routes of potato introduction to China and Yunnan Province and the spreading routes in Yunnan. The main routes of introduction and spread were verified as below: (1) after 1615, potato was introduced into western Yunnan from northeastern India via the India-Myanmar-Yunnan Corridor and widely planted in Diqing, Lijiang, Dali and Nujiang, the cytoplasmic type was W/α; (2) after 1788, potato was introduced into Yongren, Chuxiong from Liangshan, Sichuan, and then widely spread in western and central Yunnan, these varieties representing W/α cytoplasmic type; (3) around the year of 1843, potato entered Zhaotong through southeastern Guizhou, widely planted in northeastern Yunnan and southwestern Guizhou with T/β cytoplasmic type. The introduction and spread of potato had a profound impact on the agricultural structure, population migration, mineral development, minority customs and religious beliefs in Yunnan for hundreds of years. Its localization had also accelerated the process of staple food grain production and provided new methods for scientific breeding.

Key words: Yunnan Province, Potato, Introduction, Spread, Impact