The breakthrough offers the promise of increasing the harvest of one of the world's most important staple crops.
Researchers at the Institute in Dundee James Hutton said he should soon be possible to develop improved varieties of potatoes much faster.
The genome of an organism is a map of how all of its genes are combined.
Each gene controls the various aspects of how the body grows and develops.
Small changes in these instructions result in different varieties.
Each individual has a slightly different version of the DNA sequence of the species.
Professor Iain Gordon, executive director of the Institute James Hutton, said the decoding of the genome of potato should enable breeders to develop varieties that are more nutritious, and resistant to pests and diseases.
The color and flavor
He hopes this will help meet the challenge of feeding the outbreak of the world.
The research is far from complete. Analyzing the genetic sequence of the plant will take several more years.
Right now it can take more than 10 years to breed an improved variety.
By locating the genes that control traits such as yield, color, and flavor starchiness, research should help develop better potatoes much faster.
Potatoes provide the fourth largest in the world of agriculture, with a yearly basis, the overall performance of 330m tonnes.
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