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Sweet potato is one of the most important crops being promoted for food security and nutrition in South Africa. This study investigated the nutritional and chemical compositions of four whitefleshed (Blesbok, Ndou, Monate, and Mvuvhelo) and three orange-fleshed (Bophelo, Impilo, and 199062.1) cultivars. The protein, ash, and crude fibre contents were analysed using standard AOAC procedures. The detection of fatty acids, sugar, and metabolites was carried out using Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). Carbohydrate and energy values were determined using standard methods. The results showed that Bophelo had the highest protein content (12.00%), with Blesbok having the lowest protein content (4.56%). The study also revealed that Impilo had the highest fibre (7.11%) and total sugar (22.21 %) contents. The highest ash content was found in 199062.1 (5.81 %) and the lowest was observed in Monate (4.50 %). Bophelo had the highest total fat content (0.650 %), with saturated, mono-saturated, and polysaturated fats of 0.270 %, 0.050 %, and 0.270 %, respectively, while the lowest fat content was observed in Impilo (0.380 %), with saturated, mono-saturated, and poly-saturated fats of 0.225 %, 0.020 % and 0.135 %, respectively. The highest total carbohydrate content was found in Blesbok (76.72 %). Different fatty acids, including palmitic acid (C16), stearic acid (C18), arachidic acid (C20), oleic acid (C18:1), and linoleic acid (C18:2) were also found in the sweet potato cultivars. This study demonstrated significant variations in the chemical composition of the cultivars, providing valuable insights for informed dietary decisions on consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sweet potato ((Ipomoea batatas L.) is a high-yielding nutritious specialty crop. There is a growing need for proactive information on sustainable production of sweet potatoes under short growing seasons. The objective of our study was to evaluate the effects of crop residue and synthetic mulches on the growth, yield, and quality parameters of three varieties of sweet potatoes. Three types of mulch, wheat straw (straw), white polyethylene film (white mulch), and black plastic film (black mulch), and a control (no mulch) were evaluated during the 2021 and 2022 growing seasons in the south-eastern region of Kazakhstan. The vine length, meristem number, tuber per plant, and tuber weight were significantly higher under white mulch and black mulch than under straw, and the results were significantly different from the control. The total yields of sweet potato tubers under white mulch and black mulch also varied significantly among the varieties, ranging from 20.5 t/ha for Rizi 0603 to 54.5 t/ha for Xushu 25. The results of the present study will be used to develop other technological sequences for the cultivation of sweet potatoes in the south-eastern region of Kazakhstan. More research is needed to ascertain the stability of the effects of varieties, mulch treatment, and their interactions on yields and to determine other treatments and varieties with better potential to improve sweet potato yields for cultivation in Kazakhstan.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the sensory acceptability of four sweet potato cultivars (Beauregard, Morada‐INTA, Colorado‐INTA, and Arapey), considering two cooking methods: boiled and baked; and two cities, 9 de Julio (9DJ) and San Pedro (SP), of Buenos Aires province. 120 women were recruited in each city. A home use test was carried out. Each consumer received at home each sample in a bag containing three sweet potatoes and the evaluation form. The sensory acceptability of different characteristics of the samples was evaluated, before and after cooking. To inquire the reasons for consumption of each sample, the methodology check all that apply (CATA) was used. Results: Of the two factors evaluated (city and cooking method), city had a significant influence when evaluating the samples. Participants of SP gave higher acceptability to Beauregard cultivar than 9DJ in most attributes. Colorado INTA had greater acceptability in some descriptors by the consumers of 9DJ. While Arapey and Morada INTA had the greatest acceptability in 9DJ trial. In CATA results 9DJ consumers associated the Beauregard cultivar with negative phrases: It tastes weird and It has little flavor/tasteless and to a lesser extent to The internal color is artificial and It breaks when cooking. While SP consumers characterized with negative phrases the Arapey and Morada INTA samples as follows: It changes color (brown) quickly, Its shape is not regular and When cooked, it has threads or fibers. Conclusion: Consumer preferences provide opportunities for the development or improvement of new cultivars. It would be interesting to extend this study to other regions and/or countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to screen and obtain the heat-resistant varieties of sweet potato, four high-quality sweet potato varieties were used as the research objects. The heat resistance evaluation value, SPAD value, hydrogen peroxide (H202) content, malondialdehyde (MDA) content, catalase (CAT) activity and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activity of leaves were used as the heat resistance indexes. Then, the effects of high temperature stress on the leaf physiology and antioxidant enzyme activity of sweet potatoes were investigated by comparing the differences of various leaf indexes of four varieties of sweet potatoes under the high temperature stress of 35 °C and 40'C. The results showed that there was no significant change in leaf morphology of the four sweet potato varieties under the high temperature stress of 35'C. Under the high temperature stress of 40°C, the leaves of Longshu 116 and Pushu 23 showed obvious water loss curl, and the SPAD value was significantly lower than that of Jinshan 57 and Guangshu 87. The content of H2O2 in leaves was as high as 2.53 nmol ⋅ g-1 and 4. 21 nmol ⋅ g-1, which resulted in the increase of CAT and APX activity, and the content of MDA was significantly higher than that of Jinshan 57 and Guangshu 87, which were up to 10.06 nmol ⋅ g-1 and 14.94 nmol ⋅ g-1. According to the comprehensive evaluation, Guangshu 87 was the best sweet potato variety with excellent heat resistance in the tested varieties, followed by Jinshan 57. The results could provide the heat-resistant variety resources for the planting industry of sweet potato and provide theoretical basis for the breeding of heat-resistant varieties of sweet potato. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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New-found interest in sweetpotato production in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern U.S. has been steadily increasing in the last several years. Sweetpotatoes are usually grown for fresh market use and novel marketing strategies and new consumer niches are providing farmers options of growing new sweetpotato varieties with exciting colors and flavor profiles that are adapted to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern U.S. Petite sweetpotatoes have gained market attention because they are easier to handle and faster to cook compared to U.S. No. 1 storage roots. The goal of this research was to determine the performance and adaptableness of eight commercial sweetpotato varieties and two unreleased accessions for U.S. No.1 and Petite sweetpotato production under black plastic mulch tailored for the mild temperate growing conditions of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern U.S. Two in-row spacings (15 cm and 30 cm) and two harvest dates (90 and 120 days after planting, DAP) were evaluated during the 2018 and 2019 growing seasons. Our results showed that the ideal harvest time is at least 120 DAP compared to an early harvest at 90 DAP as there was a 2-fold difference in marketable yield at both 15 and 30 cm in-row spacing with marketable yield between 20 and 54 t ha−1. 'Averre' and 'Beauregard' produced the highest U.S. No. 1 and Petite yields under both in-row spacing treatments harvested at 120 DAP for both years evaluated, though the general effect of in-row spacing and DAP interaction (separate years) on yield performance was cultivar specific. We also found that growing degree days is a better predictor for harvest than days after planting, with an accumulation of at least ~700 GDD (base temperature 15.5 °C) or ~1300 GDD (base temperature 10 °C) for both U.S. No. 1 and Petite roots. Additional studies are required to identify the stability of cultivars tested and treatments imposed with environmental interactions in this region. In addition, there is an urgency for updated sweetpotato management practices exclusively designed for sweetpotato varieties for the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern U.S. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]