Scotland’s mountains are renowned across the world but this has to be the first time that a potato mountain has appeared in Edinburgh!

The mountain – a unique eight feet (2.4 metre) polystyrene model – is the centre piece of the display planned for this year’s Royal Highland Show by SCRI, Scotland’s leading crop research institute.

SCRI is a world leader in potato research, leading to new potato varieties. Last year Mayan Gold was released to supermarkets; it’s a potato very much like the originals grown and eaten in Peru. So for the Royal Highland Show at Ingliston the plan is to show a mountain scene, complete with many types of potato grown on cultivation terraces and an Inca settlement.

SCRI’s scientists have built strong links with Latin America and thought this novel, mountain display would be a fantastic opportunity to show how potatoes originated and contribute to our food today.

“At the Royal Highland Show we plan to show visitors something of the origins of potato and the habitats of its wild relatives, and relate this variation to the problems we face breeding crop plants in a world undergoing climate change today,” said Dr Gavin Ramsay, one of SCRI’s potato specialists.

“Research recently published by SCRI shows conclusively that the Peruvians were first to domesticate the potato and that this early type spread South down the Andes and ultimately across the world.”

Professor Peter Gregory, SCRI’s Director, said: “I’m delighted that my team has come up with such a novel way of showing the range and origins of the humble spud. When the chips are down, SCRI can move mountains.”

The mountain was produced in collaboration with a Shropshire company, Bakers Patterns of Telford. Their work normally involves mannequins and models for the TV and film industries.

SCRI is the home of the Commonwealth Potato Collection, a major genebank containing around 1500 accessions of 80 different species related to the cultivated potato S. tuberosum L.

The Royal Highland Show takes place at Ingliston in Edinburgh from 21-24 June. The main SCRI display, complete with mountain, will be located in the SAC pavilion.