It was the idea of Professor Dr. W. Rudorf, Direktor of the Max-Planck-Institut to organize an expedition to South America with the purpose to augment available genetic resources for resistance to potato pathogens in Germany. Apart from the collection of tubers and seed, a herbarium should be established for taxonomic studies. Responsible for the expedition were Prof. Dr. H. Ross and Dr. R. Rimpau vom Max-Planck-Institut, Köln. Participating scientist was Professor Dr. L. Diers of the University of K öln, who performed at that time investigations on the relationship between the ploidy level of species and the altitude of their habitate. Generally his tasks forced him to visit other regions than the rest of the expedition.
In the attached Volume "Bericht über die Deutsche Botanisch-Landwirtschaftliche Andenexpedition 1959" L. Diers, R. Rimpau, H. Ross and W. Rudorf have published articles about different aspects of the expedition, as well as an itinerar and enumeration of the collected plants. Besides potatoes the collecion comprised species of Phaseolus, Lupins, Mays, Vicia, Orchids etc. The volume is no longer available, but a copy is attached hereby.
The car used for the expedition was a Dodge of 1 1/2 tons. It had to be brought over with a time lag of three weeks by freighter from Genova to Buenos Aires and from there to La Quiaca at the border to Bolivia, where we could receive it. We are most indeb ted to Ing. Garcia, Director of the Institute Nacianal de Tecnologia Agropecuaria in Buenos Aires and to Dr. F. Vervoorst. Because of the delay of the car-transport from Germany both senores supplied us with an "Estanciera" and so we started the expeditio n at 11th of February at Tucuman in the north of Argentine. We collected 39 specimens in Argentina.
At La Quiaca, at the 24th of February we enjoyed the arrival of Dr. Rimpau with the Dodge. Our Argentinian collection was completed by Dr. Hoffmann. He was the leader of an Argentine-German potato project at Tilcara (Argentina). In 1970 and 1971 he perfor med, partly together with his wife and myself potato collecting expeditions in Argentine. A larger part of the collection was given from Dr. Hoffmann directly to Prof. Hammer in Gatersleben, a smaller part forms the Max-Planck-Collection Part II.
The collection trip was continued in Bolivia from 26th of February until 1st of March and resulted in 67 herbarium sheets and a lot of seed and tubers. For Bolivia we again received the help of many colleagues and assistants. We are particularly indebted to Prof. Martin Cardenas, Dr. S. Alandia, Prof. H. Gandarillas and Prof. A. Vidaurre.
We reached Peru at the 2nd of April and collected there 68 potato herbarium specimens. Very helpful there were the colleages Prof. C. Vargas, Dr. Carillo and Professor C. M. Ochoa.
The expedition was finished at the 27th of May 1959 in Northern Peru.
The attached herbarium comprises part I, i.e. the collection result of the Max-Planck-Expedition of 1959 with the collections R59.5 - R59.1406, part II, i.e. the collection of Dr. Hoffmann, his wife and myself (see above) in Argentina 1970 and 1971, nrs. H1530 - H2080. The part III comprises 60.1 - 73.170 in all three countries which I made in the years 1965, 1967, 1971, 1972 and 1973 partly alone, partly with colleagues.
Each collected plant specimen after drying was placed in a paper envelope. Immediately after collection, in situ, the plant received a label with its collection number bound on. The label was of an oval form in cases the plant was taken from the place of collection. When it was taken in Köln from plants grown there from seed or tubers, it received a rectangular label. However, there are some exceptions.
Besides of the dried specimen the envelopes partly contain photos of the living plants and cards with flower excisions as well as one or two photos. Furthermore to each envelope is added furthermore a larger label with several important notes. First the M AX- and EBS-nrs. (see later) then the country, place of collection, date of collection, altitude, names of collectors and identification. The two numbers are to be found also on the outside of the envelope. Only the first number has a relation to the herb arium. The second number (f.i. EBS 1172a, EBS = Erwin-Baur-Institut) was given to plants grown in Köln from the collected seed and tubers. This living material has been used at the Max-Planck-Institut in order to augment the basis for resistance bree ding. It was distributed to, and exchanged with, the Dutch-German Genebank at Braunschweig (see Hoekstra a. Seydewitz 1987), the Genebank at Groß Lüsewitz (Vandrey a.o. 1994) and international institutes as f.i. Centro Internacial de la Papa (L ima, Peru), the Center for Plant Breeding and Reproduction Research at Wageningen, The Netherlands etc.
The taxonomic identification could provide some complications. At the moment not all identifications given on the labels, or in the list are up-to-date. Because no taxonomist was participating in the expedition, the denominations on the labels could only be provisional. During the years following the collection, parts of the herbarium were sent to Prof. J. G. Hawkes, J.P. Hjerting and Prof. C. Ochoa, in accordance with the aim of the expedition. Nearly every herbarium specimen of the 1959 expedition and t he Hoffmann collection in 1971 has been taxonomically investigated and identified several times between 1962 until 1988 by J.G. Hawkes and J.P. Hjerting. Most of them have also been identified by Carlos Ochoa in 1990. These colleagues used and mentioned t heir eventually new knowledge in their new books (see literature) and were kind to write their results on small labels and added them to the envelopes. It would be useful if the identification from time to time could be brought up-to-date.
As already mentioned all collected specimens are reproduced with the circumstances of the collection and other remarkable traits in a list.
The list starts with the MAX- and EBS-nr. (see above). It follows the species name, the name of the collector (s). The abbreviation of the names are given. In the rubrique exc. (=exciccates) and fotos "j" in the first column means it is taken from the pla ce of collection, "j" in the second row means taken from plants grown in Köln. "n" means not available. "fd" means flower dissection. co = country, A = Argentine, B = Bolivia, P = Peru.