Correspondence of Charles Darwin on James Torbitt's project to breed blight-resistant potatoes
Citation:
Miguel DeArce 'Correspondence of Charles Darwin on James Torbitt's project to breed blight-resistant potatoes' in Archives of Natural History, 35, (2), 2008, pp 208 - 222Download Item:
ANH35.2 Dearce.pdf (published (publisher copy) peer-reviewed) 120.4Kb
Abstract:
The most prolific of Darwin?s correspondents from Ireland was James Torbitt, an
enterprising grocer and wine merchant of 58 North Street, Belfast. Between February 1876 and March
1882, 141 letters were exchanged on the feasibility and ways of supporting one of Torbitt?s commercial
projects, the large-scale production and distribution of true potato seeds (Solan um tuberosum) to produce
plants resistant to the late blight fungus Phytophthora infestans, the cause of repeated potato crop failures
and thus the Irish famines in the nineteenth century. Ninety-three of these letters were exchanged between
Torbitt and Darwin, and 48 between Darwin and third parties, seeking or offering help and advice on the
project. Torbitt?s project required selecting the small proportion of plants in an infested field that survived
the infection, and using those as parents to produce seeds. This was a direct application of Darwin?s
principle of selection. Darwin cautiously lobbied high-ranking civil servants in London to obtain
government funding for the project, and also provided his own personal financial support to Torbitt.
Author's Homepage:
http://people.tcd.ie/mdearceDescription:
PUBLISHED
Author: DEARCE, MIGUEL
Publisher:
Edinburgh University PressType of material:
Journal ArticleCollections:
Series/Report no:
Archives of Natural History35
2
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Full text availableKeywords:
Darwin correspondence, potato IrelandLicences: