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The experiment aimed to investigate the impact of substituting corn with fermented sweet potato potato on the growth performance, serum biochemical indexes, immune indexes, and intestinal morphology of yellow-feathered broilers. A total of 360 one-day-old yellow-feathered broilers were randomly divided into four groups, with six replicates in each group, and 15 broilers in each replicate. The broilers in control group were fed a basal diet. Groups I, II, and III were fed diets with 1%, 3%, and 5% fermented sweet potato pomace substituting corn, respectively, from 1 to 21 days of age, and 5%, 8%, and 10% from 22 to 42 days and 43 to 70 days of age, respectively. The trial lasted for 70 days. The results showed that substituting corn with fermented sweet potato pomace did not significantly affect the average daily weight gain, average daily feed intake, and feed conversion ratio of the yellow-feathered broilers (P>0.05). Compared to the control group, the levels of serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), immunoglobulin A (IgA), immunoglobulin G (IgG), interleukin-2 (IL-2), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in groups I and II were significantly increased (P<0.05). At 21 days of age, the villus height and crypt depth of the duodenum in group I were significantly reduced (P<0.05), while the crypt depth in the ileum was significantly increased (P<0.05), and the villus height to crypt depth ratio (V/C) in the ileum of groups I and III were significantly decreased (P<0.05). At 42 days of age, the villus height of the duodenum and jejunum and crypt depth of the jejunum in group III were significantly reduced (P<0.05), the V/C of the duodenum in group I was significantly increased (P<0.05), and the villus height of the ileum in groups I and II were significantly increased (P<0.05). At 70 days of age, the villus height and V/C of the duodenum in groups I and II were significantly increased (P<0.05), the crypt depth was significantly reduced (P<0.05), and the villus height and V/C of the jejunum in group II were significantly increased (P<0.05). The study indicates that adding fermented sweet potato pomace to the diet as a substitute for corn can improve the serum immune indicators and intestinal tissue morphology of yellow-feathered broilers, and the optimal supplemental level is 5% at 1 to 21 days of age and 8% at 22 to 70 days of age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The plant U‐box (PUB) proteins, a family of ubiquitin ligases (E3) enzymes, are pivotal in orchestrating many biological processes and facilitating plant responses to environmental stressors. Despite their critical roles, exploring the PUB gene family's characteristics and functional diversity in sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.) has been notably limited. There were 81 IbPUB genes identified within the sweet potato genome, and they were categorized into eight distinct groups based on domain architecture, revealing a non‐uniform distribution across the 15 chromosomes of I. batatas. The investigation of cis‐acting elements has shed light on the potential of PUBs to participate in a wide array of biological processes, particularly emphasizing their role in mediating responses to abiotic stresses. Transcriptome profiles revealed that IbPUB genes displayed a wide range of expression levels among different tissues and were regulated by salt or drought stress. IbPUB52 has emerged as a gene of significant interest due to its induction by salt and drought stresses. Localization studies have confirmed the presence of IbPUB52 in both the nucleus and the cytoplasm, and its ubiquitination activity has been validated through rigorous in vitro and in vivo assays. Intriguingly, the heterogeneous expression of IbPUB52 in Arabidopsis resulted in decreased drought tolerance. The virus‐induced gene silencing (VIGS) of IbPUB52 in sweet potatoes led to enhanced resistance to drought. This evidence suggests that IbPUB52 negatively regulates the drought tolerance of plants. The findings of this study are instrumental in advancing our comprehension of the functional dynamics of PUB E3 ubiquitin ligases in sweet potatoes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was carried out in five regions of Bangladesh--Gazipur, Bogura, Jamalpur, Jashore, and Chattogram--utilizing a randomized complete block design and involving 17 genotypes of sweet potatoes. The objective was to evaluate their performance, environmental adaptability, and stability in terms of root yield. The analysis was carried out using fixed and random effects models. The results revealed that BARI Mistialu-12 had the highest storage root yield (45.35 t/ha). Among the locations, Bogura (sandy loam soil) achieved the highest yield, at 37.05 t/ha, followed by Jamalpur (36.15 t/ha). ANOVA showed significant variation in root yield across genotype, environment, and their interaction (GEI). Both the additive main effects and multiplicative interaction (AMMI) effect models and a linear mixed model (LMM) confirmed substantial GEI variance. Considering LMM, 53.58% of the total variation was due to genotypes, with a selection accuracy of 94%, leading to the use of a best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP) index for genotype selection. BARI Mistialu-12, BARI Mistialu-16, BARI Mistialu-11, BARI Mistialu-8, BARI Mistialu-2, and BARI Mistialu-13 were identified as high-performing genotypes in the BLUP index. Based on the AMMI stability value (ASV), the first two principal components explained 74.60% of the total GEI variance (20.16%), with BARI Mistialu-14 being the most stable genotype. Additionally, the interaction principal components axis analysis identified Bogura, Jashore, and Chattogram as key testing sites for root yield. The weighted average of absolute scores biplot highlighted BARI Mistialu-16 as the most stable variety. In the megaenvironment analysis, BARI Mistialu-11 and BARI Mistialu-2 excelled in Jamalpur, while BARI Mistialu-12 and BARI Mistialu-16 led in Gazipur, Bogura, and Jashore. Bogura was the best location for production. These findings are crucial for future breeding efforts to expand the sweet potato industry, demonstrating consistent high-yield potential across various agroecological conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pig farming has great potential to be developed because it is efficient in converting feed into meat. Feed is the largest cost component in production, which is about 60-80% of the total cost. Landrace pigs are the main choice of breeders because of their fast growth and docile temperament. However, the high price of factory-made feed encourages farmers to look for alternative feed ingredients, including agricultural waste such as sweet potato leaves (Ipomea batatas L), which are rich in nutrients and relatively cheap (Sihombing, 2016). Sweet potato leaves contain 25.51% crude protein and various other important nutrients, but they also contain anti-nutrient substances such as tannins. The aim of this research was to determine the effect of giving of leaf and stems sweet potato meal (SPM) on performa and income over feed costs (IOFC) in the grower pig. A total of 12 female landrace pigs aged 3-4 months with an average body weight of 55.5 kg (CV = 24.23%) were used in this study. The experimental method used a randomized block design, with 4 treatments and 3 replications. The treatments tried consisted of R0: ration without sweet potato leaf and stems meal sweet potato (SPM), R1: ration 5% (SPM), R2: ration 10% (SPM) meal, R3: ration 15% (SPM). The variables studied were performa and Income Over Feed Cost (IOFC).The variables measured are ration consumption, body weight gain, ration conversion and Income Over Feed Cost (IOFC). The results of the analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that the treatment had no significant effect (P>0.05) on feed consumption, body weight gain, feed conversion and Income Over Feed Cost of research pigs. It can be concluded that the use of leaf and stems meal sweet potato 5%, 15% in pig rations provide the same response to provide the same effect on body weight gain, ration conversion and Income Over Feed Cost (IOFC). leaves and stems sweet potato can be used up to 15%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nucleotide-binding domain and leucine-rich repeat-containing receptor (NLR) proteins can form complex receptor networks to confer innate immunity. An NLR-REQUIRED FOR CELL DEATH (NRC) is a phylogenetically related node that functions downstream of a massively expanded network of disease resistance proteins that protect against multiple plant pathogens. In this study, we used phylogenomic methods to reconstruct the macroevolution of the NRC family. One of the NRCs, termed NRC0, is the only family member shared across asterid plants, leading us to investigate its evolutionary history and genetic organization. In several asterid species, NRC0 is genetically clustered with other NLRs that are phylogenetically related to NRC-dependent disease resistance genes. This prompted us to hypothesize that the ancestral state of the NRC network is an NLR helper–sensor gene cluster that was present early during asterid evolution. We provide support for this hypothesis by demonstrating that NRC0 is essential for the hypersensitive cell death that is induced by its genetically linked sensor NLR partners in 4 divergent asterid species: tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), wild sweet potato (Ipomoea trifida), coffee (Coffea canephora), and carrot (Daucus carota). In addition, activation of a sensor NLR leads to higher-order complex formation of its genetically linked NRC0, similar to other NRCs. Our findings map out contrasting evolutionary dynamics in the macroevolution of the NRC network over the last 125 million years, from a functionally conserved NLR gene cluster to a massive genetically dispersed network. The NRC0 gene cluster of sensor and helper immune receptors is functionally conserved across divergent asterid species and predates the massively expanded NLR immune receptor network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pH‐responsive hydrogels have potential applications in food visualization detection, but their fragile mechanical properties limit their applicability. The excellent mechanical properties and thermal stability of aramid nanofibers (ANFs) can improve the structural stability of hydrogels. In this study, the surface properties of ANFs were enhanced through modification to improve their surface activity. The modified ANFs, designated as ANF‐SN, were produced following treatment with a mixture of sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and nitric acid (HNO3), which led to increased reactivity and dispersibility of the ANFs due to the proliferation of active groups on their nanofiber surface. The preferred anthocyanin extract from purple sweet potatoes (purple sweet potato extract [PSPE]) had significant color responses to pH (2–12) and ammonia vapor. A stable dual‐network colorimetric hydrogel was fabricated by combining ANF‐SN, polyvinyl alcohol/sodium alginate (PVA/SA), and PSPE through a two‐step method (freeze‐thawing and staining). Characterization analysis showed that the strong acid modification of ANFs effectively improved their chemical reactivity. ANF‐SN was better than ANF in promoting the formation of hydrogen bond networks, enhancing hydrogel network structures, and improving the viscoelasticity of hydrogels. The optimal hydrogel indicator PVA/SA/ANF‐SN/PSPE had good color responsiveness and sensitivity to ammonia. It can also be used to further determine shrimp freshness value using a smartphone and RGB color‐picking software. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wound temperature is one of the wound biomarkers representing the wound healing progress. The diabetic wound is associated with a prolonged inflammation phase marked by an increasing wound temperature and erythematous wound. Purple sweet potato extract (PSP), an anthocyanin-rich plant, improved wound healing in both diabetic and non-diabetic wounds in animal studies. This study aims to know the effect of purple sweet potato ethanol extract on wound temperature and erythema in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Rats were divided into four groups: normal rats + gel placebo; diabetic rats + gel placebo; diabetic rats + PSP 10%; and diabetic rats + PSP 15%. Diabetes mellitus was induced by streptozotocin injection. After diabetic confirmation, the back of the rats was excised and the gel was administered daily for 14 days. The wound temperature was measured at the wound surface using infrared thermography on days 0, 3, 7, and 14. The wounds were photographed and erythema analysis was conducted using Corel Photo paint®. Diabetic wounds exhibited higher surface temperature compared with the normal wound (37.08°C ± 0.29 vs 35.13°C ± 0.46) on day 14 of examination and topical application the purple sweet potato ethanol extract gel 10% and 15% markedly decreased the wound temperature at day 7 and 14 compared with the diabetes wound (p<0.0001). Wound erythema was significantly reduced in the PSP 10% and 15% diabetic wound treatment groups on day 14 (p<0.05). Purple sweet potato extract gel treatment was found to have the potential to reduce inflammation in diabetic wounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Weeds and nematodes are particularly problematic in organic sweetpotato production due to a lack of effective pesticides. Anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD) has the potential to fit into current pest management practices as an alternative to pesticide application. Greenhouse studies were conducted at the Clemson Coastal Research and Education Center (CREC) in Charleston, SC, to investigate the impact of carbon source amendment and a no carbon source treatment, and soil type on cumulative anaerobicity, weed control, nematode population, and sweetpotato vigor. Microcosms were filled with one of three different soil types (Charleston—loamy/native; Blackville—high coarse sand content; and Clemson—high clay content) and were mixed with cottonseed meal (CSM) or no carbon amendment. The pots were then sealed with plastic totally impenetrable film (Tif) for 6 weeks, followed by the transplanting of sweetpotato (cv Bayou Belle) slips. The results suggested that the CSM-treated microcosms spent more time under anaerobic conditions than those treated with the no carbon amendment. The microcosms that experienced a longer duration of anaerobicity had a lower percent weed cover (49%), fewer nematode egg masses, and a lower gall index when compared to microcosms which experienced a shorter duration of anaerobicity. Significantly higher instances of leaf necrosis were observed in the sweetpotato slips sown in the CSM-treated microcosms. The addition of CSM as a carbon source to facilitate ASD resulted in similar above-ground biomasses of the sweetpotato plants compared to the treatments containing no carbon amendment. However, a significantly lower below-ground biomass of the sweetpotato plants was observed in the CSM-treated microcosms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Automated sorting of sweetpotatoes is necessary to reduce labor dependence and costs that are significant at today's sweetpotato packing sheds. Although optical sorters have been widely adopted in commercial packing lines for many horticultural commodities, there remains an unmet need to develop dedicated technology for the automated grading and sorting of sweetpotatoes. Sorting mechanisms are the critical component that physically segregates products according to quality grades determined by a machine vision or imaging system. This study presents the new engineering prototypes and evaluation of three different pneumatically powered mechanisms for sorting sweetpotatoes online. Among the three sorters, the sorting mechanism, which employs a linear air cylinder to drive a paddle directly striking products, achieved the best overall accuracy and repeatability of 98% and 96.8%, respectively, at conveyor speeds of 4–12 cm/s. The sorter based on a rotary actuator also delivered decent accuracy and repeatability of 97.9% and 95.6%, respectively. The best-performing sorting mechanism was integrated with a machine vision system that graded sweetpotatoes based on size and surface defect conditions to separate graded sweetpotatoes into three quality categories. The errors of 0–1% due to the sorting process were obtained at conveyor speeds of 4–12 cm/s, confirming the efficacy of the manufactured sorting mechanisms. There was a declining trend with the conveyor speed in the performance of the sorting mechanisms when evaluated either in a standalone or integrated configuration. The proposed sorting mechanisms that are simple in construction and operation and of low cost are useful for developing a more full-fledged sorting system. More research is needed to enhance sorting performance and conduct extensive tests at higher conveyor speeds for practical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas L.) is susceptible to infection by the root knot nematode (RKN) Meloidogyne incognita, which results in significant reductions in the yield of this important tuber crop worldwide. Previously, transcriptome analysis revealed differential gene expression between the roots of RKN-susceptible and -resistant sweetpotato cultivars after RKN infection, raising the possibility of identifying the genes involved in protection against RKN infection. A number of trait-specific and/or response-specific genes were also identified, including RKN infection-responsive aquaporin protein encoded by the nodulin-26-like intrinsic protein (NIP) gene. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the role of NIP genes in the defense response to RKN infection in susceptible and resistant sweetpotato cultivars. A comparison of the nucleotide sequences of sweetpotato with those of its closely related species, morning glory, revealed a group of NIP genes that could be categorized into four different ortholog groups. These four groups contained several unique genes that showed changes in expression in sweetpotato roots after RKN infection. These results indicate that NIP genes could have a potential role in protecting sweetpotato roots from RKN infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ascorbic acid (AsA) can participate in the enzymatic and nonenzymatic clearance processes of reactive oxygen species (ROS), thereby enhancing stress tolerance in plants. GDP-L-galactose phosphorylase (GGP) is predicted to be a critical enzyme in the L-galactose route of plant AsA biosynthesis. However, information on the catalytic AsA synthesis and stress-resistance effect of the GGP gene in sweetpotato remains scarce. In this study, the IbGGP1 gene from sweetpotato was successfully isolated. The qRT-PCR determination revealed a distinctly higher expression level of IbGGP1 in sweetpotato flowers, and the gene was induced by multiple stresses, especially in drought, salt, and extreme temperatures. The seed germination, root elongation, and fresh weight were promoted in T3Arabidopsis IbGGP1-overexpressing lines as compared to wild-type plants under mannitol and salt stresses. The heterologous overexpression of IbGGP1 upregulated the mRNA level of the AtGME and AtGPP genes, and elevated the AsA content and AsA/DHA ratio under soil drought and salt stress. This stress-tolerance phenotype was associated with lower hydrogen peroxide and malondialdehyde content and higher antioxidant enzyme activity. These results indicate that the increased expression of IbGGP1 in Arabidopsis improves tolerance to multiple environmental stresses by promoting AsA biosynthesis and ROS-scavenging system. The functional identification of IbGGP1 provides a new approach for improving stress tolerance to drought and salt in sweetpotato and other species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sweet potato is one of the essential starch materials for food and feed world widely. However, its application is limited by the low viscosity and poor stability of native starches. Herein, sweet potato starch is modified by octenyl succinic anhydride (OSA) in the aqueous system. The optimization for esterification is studied using response surface methodology. The characteristics of OSA‐modified sweet potato starch are investigated, and its emulsifying properties as macromolecular and particulate stabilizers in the oil‐in‐water systems are compared. The optimal process conditions for OSA modification are: reaction time 4.0 h, temperature 38.8 °C, pH of the reaction system 8.2, starch concentration 32.2%, OSA amount 3.0%. The degree of substitution is 0.0185, and reaction efficiency is 79.7% under the optimum conditions. The new peaks at 1725 and 1573 cm−1 are observed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Compared with native starch, OSA‐modified sweet potato starch exhibits higher viscosities, improved paste clarity, and decreased retrogradation. The confocal laser scanning microscope results show that the gelatinized starch macromolecule and ungelatinized starch particles can arrange at the water–oil interface. The OSA‐modified sweet potato starch is both an effective macromolecular emulsifier and a particulate stabilizer, effectively stabilizing oil‐in‐water emulsions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The equations that use the product between L and W are the most suitable for predicting LA. • The linear and power models are the most suitable for estimating the leaf area of sweet potato cultivars;. • The proposed non-destructive method presents high accuracy for four sweet potato cultivars. Many researchers consider the leaf area the most critical parameter for plant growth and physiology studies. Using allometric equations is considered an effective and non-destructive method for estimating the leaf area of plants. The objectives of this study were to construct allometric equations to predict the leaf area of sweet potato cultivars as a function of leaf dimensions and to verify the effectiveness of the allometric equations constructed for each cultivar individually and for the grouped data. Two hundred fifty leaves of the sweet potato cultivars Beauregard, BRS Amélia, BRS Cuia, and Coquinho were collected, and then the length and width of each leaf were measured. Subsequently, the product between leaf length and width and the actual leaf area was calculated. Linear, linear without intercept, power, and exponential regression models were used to construct allometric equations to predict leaf area. The best equations were chosen according to the highest coefficients of determination and correlation, Willmott agreement index, and lowest Akaike information criterion and root mean square error. The equations obtained with the linear models without intercept and power using the length and width of the leaves were the most indicated for predicting the leaf area of sweet potato cultivars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Death feigning is hypothesized to be an anti-predator behavior in which prey is temporarily immobilized in response to external stimuli. While death feigning may be an effective predator-defense strategy, there may be trade-offs in terms of energy and time for finding food and/or mating. The duration of death feigning is regulated by the balance of various selection pressures, and its duration is influenced by many internal and environmental factors. However, little is known about the factors that influence arousal from death-feigning behavior. Sex pheromones are important semiochemicals that affect reproductive success and may influence the duration of death-feigning behavior. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of sex pheromones on the death-feigning behavior of the sweet potato weevil (Cylas formicarius) by conducting laboratory experiments. The results showed that males had a significantly shorter death-feigning duration in the presence of sex pheromones because it aroused them from their death-feigning behavior, but females were unaffected. This is the first study to show that sex pheromones alter death-feigning behavior. The results of this study elucidate the factors influencing predator-avoidance behavior and reveal the impact of death-feigning behavior on prey reproduction under predation pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to enhance compatibility and thermal stability between thermoplastic starch (TPS) and polylactic acid (PLA) by incorporating citric acid-grafted starch (CA–Starch) at different concentrations (1 and 5%) with varying degrees of substitution for starch derived from sweet potatoes and yams (DY). Blends were produced using a constant TPS/PLA weight ratio of 60:40, both with and without a compatibilizer. The blending process was carried out using a torque rheometer under two distinct conditions. The results exhibited reduced particle sizes in TPS60/PLA40/CA–Starch blends, as evidenced by SEM images displaying improved interaction and smoother surfaces. Significantly, one of the properties that experienced substantial improvement was the compatibility between TPS and PLA, as indicated by reduced phase segregation within the blends. This improvement manifested in enhanced surface morphology, smaller particle sizes, and greater homogeneity in the blends. Additionally, an enhancement in thermal properties, particularly thermal stability, was observed with higher CA content. This study underscores that the incorporation of CA–Starch not only enhances compatibility but also improves thermal stability in TPS60/PLA40 blends, offering potential for the development of biocompatible materials with superior performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by antiplatelet autoantibodies, thrombocytopenia, and bleeding, however, its treatment options are limited. In this study, a kind of active component, chlorogenic acid compounds (CGAs) from sweetpotato leaves was extracted out to explore its medicinal value and provide novel therapeutic strategies for the treatment of ITP. CGAs was isolated by ionic liquids-ultrasound (IL-UAE), which contains six isomers of chlorogenic acid with total purity of 95.69%. The thrombopoietic effect and mechanism of CGAs were investigated using in silico prediction and experimental validation. The changes of HEL cells morphology in volume and the increase in the total cell percentage of polyploid cells indicated that CGAs could promote megakaryocyte differentiation. Meanwhile, CGAs could promote platelet formation in a murine model of ITP, which was established by injection of antiplatelet antibody. Further quantitative proteomics analysis and Western blot verification revealed that CGAs could activate PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, which confirmed the mechanism prediction. It suggested that CGAs may provide a novel therapeutic strategy that relies on the PI3K/AKT pathway to facilitate megakaryocyte differentiation and platelet production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To fill the research gap in the mechanical and physical properties of different varieties of sweet potatoes at different points in the harvest period and to provide a theoretical basis for the design of key components of the sweet potato harvester, the physical properties of Su-Shu 16, Su-Shu 36, and Ning-Zi 4 during the harvest period were studied at three time points: 15 October, 25 October, and 4 November 2023. The moisture content of sweet potatoes was determined using the DGF30/7-IA electric hot air-drying oven. The results showed that the moisture content of sweet potatoes decreased with increasing growth time at three different time points during the harvest period. The moisture content of Su-Shu 16 was, on average, 12.74% higher than that of Su-Shu 36, while the moisture content of Ning-Zi 4 was, on average, 8.07% higher than that of Su-Shu 36. The density of Su-Shu 36 measured by the drainage method is greater than that of Su-Shu 16 and Ning-Zi 4, but the difference is relatively small, and the density tends to decrease slowly with the increase of growth time. Using an electronic universal testing machine, compression tests were conducted on Su-Shu 16, Su-Shu 36, and Ning-Zi 4 at loading speeds of 5 mm/min and 10 mm/min, respectively. The results showed that the compressive strength limit range of Su-Shu 36 was slightly higher than that of Su-Shu 16 and significantly higher than that of Ning-Zi 4. The Poisson's ratio, elastic modulus, and shear modulus values of Su-Shu 16 and Su-Shu 36 were similar and much higher than those of Ning-Zi 4. Studying sweet potatoes' growth and physical characteristics for different purposes can provide data references for the design of digging depth, working width, and conveyor chain gap of sweet potato harvesters, as well as data references for sweet potato simulation experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to rapidly and accurately detect ipomeamarone using hyperspectral image technology sweet potato inoculated with Ceratocystis fimbriata (that can infect sweet potato with black spot disease, leading to the generation of ipomeamarone) was used as the research object, methods of hyperspectral characterization information extraction and robust model construction for ipomeamarone content were explored. After eliminating the effects of noisy signals and offsetting baseline, hyperspectral characterization information of ipomeamarone was extracted by the successive projection algorithm (SPA) and the competitive adaptive reweighted sampling algorithm (CARS), 26 and 48 optimal characteristic wavelengths were extracted, respectively; Based on the extracted characteristic wavelengths, back propagation neural network (BPNN), least squares support vector machine (LSSVM), radial basis function neural network(RBFNN), partial least squares regression(PLSR)and extreme learning machine (ELM) prediction models were established, respectively. The performance of prediction models was compared and the results showed that the LSSVM model based on characterization information extracted by CARS (CARS-LSSVM) was optimal, with a R2 of 0.968 and a RMSE of 0.2678. the content change and distribution of ipomeamarone in sweet potato samples were clearly illustrated in pseudo-color plots based on the prediction results of the CARS-LSSVM mode. Simultaneously electron microscope scanning (SEM) was performed for the sweet potato samples, the SEM results showed that the texture of sweet potato was varied with the development of black spot disease. The research provided a new method for the detection of ipomeamarone; and provided a basis for the early prevention and control of sweet potato black spot disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fresh-cut sweet potatoes are popular among consumers for their freshness and convenience. However, rapid browning and oxidative damage under stress significantly degrade their storage quality. This study aims to evaluate the effects of citric acid (CA) treatment on maintaining the quality of fresh-cut sweet potatoes during storage and to explore the underlying mechanisms. Fresh-cut sweet potatoes were immersed in 1% (w/v) CA for 10 min, with water treatment as the control (CK), and stored at 4 °C for 8 d. Physicochemical parameters were evaluated every 2 d. After 8 d of storage, CA-treated samples exhibited significantly lower total colony count (3.34 lg CFU g−1), soluble sugar content (1.52%), and lignin content (2.62 OD280 g−1) compared to the CK group (P < 0.05), and better maintained color values. Additionally, CA treatment inhibited the increase in browning-related enzyme activities (phenylalanine deaminase, polyphenol oxidase, peroxidase) and the accumulation of browning products (total phenolics, soluble quinones), resulting in a browning index 8.15% lower than the CK group at the end of storage. The CA-treated fresh-cut sweet potatoes also exhibited lower malondialdehyde content (0.58 µmol g−1) and lipoxygenase activity (3.19 U g−1), while showing higher activities of antioxidant enzymes such as catalase and ascorbate peroxidase, and enhanced free radical scavenging capacity, indicating that CA treatment helps mitigate cutting-induced oxidative stress. In conclusion, our findings highlight the significant potential of CA treatment in preserving the storage quality of fresh-cut sweet potatoes and provide new insights into its regulatory mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) is an important food, feed, and industrial raw material and new energy crop. Its rich nutritional value and health effects are increasingly being recognized by consumers, and the demand is increasing. However, due to the continuous cultivation of sweet potato over many years, the degeneration of seedlings and the accumulation of viral diseases are important factors affecting the yield and quality of sweet potatoes. This article provides an overview and analysis of the types and hazards of sweet potato virus diseases, the advantages of virus-free sweet potatoes, the scale of virus-free sweet potato cultivation, sweet potato stem tip virus-free production technology, its development status, and the existing problems. Combined with the development of the sweet potato industry across China, relevant development suggestions are proposed to provide a reference for promoting the healthy, stable, sustainable, high-quality, and efficient development of the sweet potato industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the leaves of six cultivars of Ipomoea batatas L. from the USA, focusing on their Total Polyphenol Content (TPC), Total Flavonoid Content (TFC), antioxidant, and antimicrobial activities. TPC and TFC ranged from 7.29 ± 0.62 to 10.49 ± 1.04 mg TAE/g Dw, and from 2.30 ± 0.04 to 4.26 ± 0.23 mg QE/g Dw, respectively, with the highest values found in the 'O'Henry' variety. RP-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography identified six phenolic and flavonoid compounds: caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid, 3,4-dicaffeoylquinic acid, and quercetin, excluding gallic acid. The highest levels of these compounds were found in acidified methanolic extracts. Antioxidant activities, measured by ABTS and DPPH assays, showed low IC50 values ranging from 94.6 ± 2.76 to 115.17 ± 7.65 µg/mL, and from 88.83 ± 1.94 to 147.6 ± 1.22 µg/mL. Ferric Ion-Reducing Antioxidant Potential (FRAP) measurements indicated significant antioxidant levels, varying from 1.98 ± 0.14 to 2.83 ± 0.07, with the 'O'Henry' variety exhibiting the highest levels. The antimicrobial activity test included five Gram-positive bacteria, three Gram-negative bacteria, and two pathogenic fungi. S. aureus, S. mutans, L. monocytogenes, E. coli, S. dysenteriae, and C. albicans were most susceptible to the methanolic extract. This study underscores the impressive antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of sweet potato leaves, often discarded, making them a valuable source of natural antioxidants, antimicrobials, and other health-promoting compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relevance of this research lies in determining the potential use of microbial preparations with varying functionalities to optimise the nutrition and stimulate the growth processes of sweet potato plants, as well as the synergistic effects of different preparations. The developed nutrient optimisation systems are designed to restore soil fertility, reduce the anthropogenic load on vegetable agroecosystems, produce high-quality yields, and increase sweet potato productivity without relying on energy-intensive production methods. This study aimed to investigate the impact of biological fertilisation systems on the biometric parameters, yield, and quality of sweet potato tubers. The research programme was implemented through field, statistical, computational-analytical, and laboratory methods. An increase in the number (7.33-9.83 per plant) and length (175.55-184.89 cm) of shoots was observed with the application of the biological preparations “Groundfix” + “Humifriend”, “Help-Rost for vegetables”, and “Mycofriend”. The use of foliar fertilisations in three terms of “Help-Rost for vegetables”, both in combination with “Mycofriend” during fertigation and with the foliar fertilisation “Humifriend”, resulted in maximal leaf mass formation on the plant (2.41-2.56 m2 /ha in the third decade of June and 23.12-27.45 m² /ha in the third decade of August). Microbial preparations significantly increased net photosynthetic productivity by 28.9-63.9% during the period from the third decade of June to the third decade of July, especially when “Groundfix” and “Humifriend”, or “Humifriend” and “Help-Rost for vegetables” were combined. A substantial commercial yield of tubers (17.4 t/ha) was achieved by applying the mycorrhizal preparation “Humifriend” (1.5 L/ha) in the first fertigation and conducting three foliar applications of “Help-Rost for vegetables” at 2.0 L/ha. Treatments involving biological preparations demonstrated improvements in key biochemical parameters. The use of “Groundfix” + “Humifriend” and “Humifriend” + “Help-Rost for vegetables” resulted in a decrease in nitrate levels in the produce. The authors hypothesise that the optimal supply of micronutrients, particularly iron, manganese, and molybdenum, enhances the transformation of nitrates into organic matter. This research provides valuable insights for the rational application of biologically enhanced fertilisation systems to achieve high yields and quality of sweet potato tubers in various agricultural settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An amylolytic industrial yeast strain named 1974-GA-temA, developed previously by our research team by coexpressing the α-amylase and glucoamylase genes, combines enzyme production, sweet potato residue (SPR) hydrolysis, and glucose fermentation into ethanol in a one-step process. This consolidated bioprocessing (CBP) method has great application potential in the commercial production of bioethanol from SPR, but important fermentation parameters should be optimized to further increase the ethanol concentration and yield. In this study, the effects of the initial fermentation pH, solid-to-liquid ratio, inoculation volume, addition of exogenous enzyme, and supplementation with metal ions were systemically investigated. Single-factor experiments revealed that the optimal pH was 4.0. In the solid-to-liquid ratio test, an increase in the solid-to-liquid ratio corresponded with a gradual increase in the ethanol concentration, peaking at 1:5. However, the ethanol yield gradually decreased, with the optimal solid-to-liquid ratio identified as 1:5. The ethanol concentration and yield reached 9.73 g/L and 5.84%, respectively. Additionally, an increase in the inoculum size resulted in increased ethanol concentration and yield, with the optimal inoculum level determined to be 10%. An ethanol concentration of 7.87 g/L was attained under these specified conditions, equating to an ethanol yield of 4.72%. Further analysis was conducted to assess the effects of exogenous cellulase, hemicellulase, and pectinase, both individually and in combination, on ethanol concentration and yield. The results indicated that pectinase had a particularly significant effect. The highest ethanol concentration was observed when all three enzymes were administered concurrently, yielding 27.27 g/L ethanol. Then, the role of metal ions in SPR fermentation was evaluated. The metal ions did not significantly affect the process, with the exception of copper ions. The addition of copper ions at a specific concentration of 0.2 g/100 g SPR increased the ethanol concentration. However, concentrations exceeding 0.2 g/100 g SPR inhibited yeast cell growth. Finally, orthogonal optimization was employed to determine the optimal combination of factors: pH, 4.0; solid-to-liquid ratio, 1:6; inoculation volume, 10%; cellulase and pectinase addition; and the absence of Cu2+ addition. Under these conditions, strain 1974-GA-temA produced 34.83 ± 0.62 g/L ethanol after 8 days of fermentation, corresponding to a 20.90% ± 0.37% ethanol yield. This value markedly exceeds the outcomes of all the conducted orthogonal experiments. The fermentation optimization experiments in this study are expected to increase ethanol production during the CBP fermentation of SPR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This experiment was conducted to determine the nutrient composition of three agricultural by-products, namely garlic peel, sweet potato vine, and cotton straw, calculate their relative feeding value, effective energy value, and other indexes, and comprehensively evaluate their nutrient value by combining with rumen in vitro fermentation technology, with the aim of providing data references for the development and utilization of non-conventional feed resources for ruminants. The results showed that: 1) the dry matter (DM), ash, ether extract (EE), and crude protein (CP) contents of cotton straw were significantly higher than the other two feeds (p < 0.05), while the acid detergent fiber (ADF) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) contents of garlic peel were highly significantly higher than the others (p < 0.05); 2) the relative feed value (DMI, DDM, TDN, RFV, and RFQ) and effective energy value (GE, DE, ME, NEm, NEg, and NEL) indexes of cotton straw were significantly higher than garlic peel and sweet potato vine (p < 0.01); 3) after 48 h of in vitro fermentation, the dry matter degradation rate (IVDMD) of sweet potato vine was significantly higher than the other two feeds (p < 0.01), and the cumulative gas productions (mL) and estimated gas parameters (a, b, a + b, and c) of sweet potato vine were significantly (p < 0.01) higher than those of garlic peel and cotton straw; 4) the sweet potato vine had lower pH but higher NH3-N compared to garlic peel and cotton straw (p < 0.05). The sweet potato vine had higher propionate, iso-butyrate, butyrate, iso-valerate, and total VFA than the other two roughages, which also had the lowest acetate-to-propionate ratio. Garlic peel produced the lowest acetate, while it produced the highest valerate (p < 0.05). These findings demonstrate that all three by-products have high potential as livestock feed based on their nutritive value parameters. Comparatively, sweet potato vines exhibit higher feeding value due to their relatively moderate NDF content and superior rumen fermentation performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plants have a great impact on human health. Oxalate is a harmful compound found in some plants. Oxalate interferes with digestion and absorption of nutrients. Furthermore, the origin of most kidney stones is caused by calcium oxalate. Consumption of these plants in the diet of people with kidney stones should be limited. This review identifies plants with high oxalate and also introduces a proven strategy to reduce exposure to oxalates. In this study, search was performed with the keywords of dietary exposure, amount, evaluation, oxalate, and food on Scopus, PubMed, Science Direct, and Web of Science. Manuscripts of the last ten years were considered. 576 studies were obtained and 35 articles were finally chosen according to exclusion and inclusion criteria. Among the plants, the highest amount belongs to the Licorice with 3569.3 ± 319.7 mg/100g. The amount of oxalate in unripe fruits is also higher. Large amounts of oxalate have been reported in some high-consumption plants around the world, including spinach, sweet potatoes, Brassica spp, white beans, soybeans, fenugreek, and onions. Furthermore, to reduce the amount of exposure, good agricultural practices to prevent oxalate accumulation in plants, boiling high oxalate plants, consumption of calcium supplements, probiotics, and dairy foods are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To develop technology to efficiently utilize digestate from methane fermentation in agricultural production, the application of digestate from methane fermentation for supplying nutrients in sweet potato cultivation was investigated in sandy soil. Different strengths of diluted digestate with water were applied to sweet potato plants as water and nutrient supplies to determine the appropriate strength of digestate from methane fermentation for sweet potato production in sandy soil. The growth of sweet potato cultivated with diluted digestate was also compared with that of sweet potato cultivated with a commercial chemical nutrient solution. The growth rate of the tuberous roots with the strength of 1/20 of the digestate was greatest among the treatments with different digestate strengths (1/80–1/2) and commercial nutrient solutions (1/4–1). Consequently, we proposed a sweet potato production system using a bottom irrigation method with digestate from methane fermentation, which will be applicable in semiarid regions. In conclusion, the results of this study can be effectively used in a regional agricultural system combined with a methane fermentation system and can contribute to increasing food production as well as the establishment of a resource recycling society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to evaluate the least effecting time of shoot tip removal on sweet potato tuber yield and find the best tender shoot removal time, which has the highest nutritional content in sweet potato tender shoots to use as a leafy vegetable with the lowest effect for tuber growth. Research Method: The experiment was established in a Randomized Complete Block Design with three replicates and six treatments. Eighteen-inch piece of the tender shoot was removed from the apical ends of every branch of sweet potato (TJ 01 pipeline variety) vines on 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14 weeks after planting (WAP). Removed tender shoots were cut into five node cuttings from basal ends and were taken as planting materials. Tips of tender shoots with less than five nodes were taken as leafy vegetables. The weight of both planting materials and leafy vegetable parts was considered as the fresh weight of tender shoots. Number of tender shoots and fresh weight, number of planting materials, and fresh weight were recorded. Tuber yield was taken after 3½ months. Findings: The number of tender shoots/ha and number of planting materials/ha were significantly higher in 10WAP while their fresh weights were not significantly different among treatments. Protein content was highest in 12WAP and 14WAP. The total weight of tubers/ha was higher in 10WAP. The best time to obtain tender shoots from sweet potato (TJ 01 pipeline variety) either as planting materials or leafy vegetables is 10WAP without adversely affecting tuber yield. Value: Since nutritionally valued sweet potato foliage is wasted after harvesting, identification of alternative uses will help to introduce sweet potato as a multidisciplinary crop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Understanding the relationship between perceived sensory attributes and measurable instrumental properties is crucial for replicating the distinct textures of meat in plant‐based meat analogs. In this study, plant‐based patties composed of textured vegetable protein (TVP) and 10%, 20% and 30% TVPs were substituted with fibers from sweet potato stem (SPS), and their instrumental texture and sensory properties were evaluated. RESULTS: Samples with 20% SPS showed hardness, cohesiveness and chewiness, which are the mechanical indicators most similar to those of meat. A descriptive sensory analysis by ten trained participants indicated that the SPS‐supplemented meat analog patties exhibited characteristics similar to pork patties in terms of firmness, toughness, cohesiveness and smoothness compared to the TVP‐only sample. A strong positive correlation between instrumental hardness and sensory firmness was observed (P < 0.01); however, cohesiveness, springiness and chewiness did not show any correlation between instrumental and sensory analyses. Warner–Bratzler shear force (WBSF) values showed positive correlations with sensory cohesiveness, chewiness, toughness, fibrousness, moistness, firmness and springiness (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The results demonstrated the feasibility of physically treated fibers from SPS as a partial substitute for TVP in developing meat analogs. Additionally, this study suggested that instrumental hardness and WBSF measurements can be sound parameters for representing sensory texture characteristics while further developing plant‐based meat analogs. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal-free nanocarbons with highly editable compositions and well-defined morphologies, and adjustable coordination environments have been considered as promising and inexpensive electrode materials that can be used in the fields of fuel cells and metal-air batteries. Herein, the typical micromorphology of high-output tuber crops potato was examined for the first time by cryo-electron microscopy, and nitrogen-doped spherical carbons with highly curved carbon layers were prepared from potato and sweet potato by hydrothermal and ammonia-activated treatments. The potato-derived carbon (PC) and sweet potato-derived carbon (SPC) with enriched nitrogen dopants on native curved carbon layers exhibit favorable oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activities in both acidic and alkaline media. The half-wave potential of the curved PC is 60 mV higher than that of commercial Pt/C (20 wt% Pt) in 0.1 M KOH. Impressively, the zinc-air battery using the curved PC displays excellent stability and achieves a peak power density of 116 mW cm−2, surpassing the performance of Pt/C (108 mW m−2). Finite element method (FEM) simulations and molecular dynamics (MD) calculations reveal that the curved carbon surface-enhanced tip electric field on the spherical structure, could further induce charge transfer and accelerate the ORR process. This work elucidates the origin of the catalytic activity of spherically structured metal-free carbons with N-doping, providing meaningful insights into the development of low-cost and highly active catalysts and advancing the field of sustainable energy. [Display omitted] • The morphology of potato abundant spherical starch granules was characterized. • Spherical carbons with doped N were constructed by hydrothermal carbonization. • Zinc-air batteries assembled with catalysts have higher power density than Pt/C. • FEM indicates the curved carbon layer enhanced tip electric field accelerate ORR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil erosion is a serious threat to agriculture and environmental sustainability in the risk‐prone rainfed Himalayan ecosystem. Hence, runoff and soil loss mitigation ability of four maize‐based intensified systems; maize (Zea mays) + turmeric (Curcuma longa), maize + ginger (Zingiber officinale), maize + colocasia (Colocasia esculenta), and maize + sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) were tested against the sole maize. The study recorded 41 erosive events during the 2020–2022 monsoon season. A principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to transform correlated rainfall parameters into orthogonal principal components. A two‐dimensional biplot analysis examined the relationship between PCs, rainfall events, and rainfall parameters. The rainfall events were divided into three regimes based on cluster analysis using PC. Rainfall regime 1 was characterized by low rainfall, I30, rainfall erosivity (E), and moderate rainfall duration (D), regime2 with moderate rainfall, short duration, high I30, and E, and regime3 with high D, I30, and rainfall erosivity. The soil loss of regime‐3 was 9.29 and 3.24 times higher than regime‐1 and regime‐2, respectively. Cover crops reduced runoff by 21.5%–69.3% and soil loss by 54.1%–77.0% over control. Redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that rainfall parameters (I30, I60, D, and E) had a significant direct influence across the systems, explaining 37.7%–54.9% of response variable variance, with E being the most influential (47.4%–54.9%), indicating varied impacts on runoff and soil loss. The sweet potato was best suited with maize as an intercrop to minimize soil erosion and maximize the system's profitability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights Nowadays, non‐timber sources are of greater interest as they avoid deforestation and the pollution which occurs with cellulose obtention. An emerging alternative is using weeds such as windmill grass (Chloris spp.) to isolate cellulose since the plant grows in large quantities near crops or landfills used for farming. The present study aims to explore windmill grass as an alternative source of cellulose for applications as reinforcement in biopolymeric matrices. Treatment was conducted using the peroxyformic pulping method, varying the formic acid (FA) and hydrogen peroxide (HP) concentration to obtain an optimum cellulose extraction condition. The isolated celluloses were analyzed for chemical composition, yield, chemical functionality, crystallinity, and morphology. The optimum pulping condition (FA = 87.5%, HP = 3%) shows the gradual removal of non‐cellulosic components by microscopy. X‐ray diffraction analysis revealed a high crystallinity index (89.63%) with a characteristic cellulose type I pattern. To evaluate the reinforced effect of Chloris spp. celluloses, film formulations were made using sweet potato starch, glycerol, and cellulose at different concentrations (2.5, 5.0, and 7.5% w/w). The films' mechanical, physicochemical, and thermal properties were measured, and results indicate that adding cellulose fibers significantly improves these properties of sweet potato starch films, revealing further applications and non‐wood windmill grass added value with potential applications in the packaging sector. Windmill grass (Chloris spp.) is presented as a non‐wood source of cellulose. The peroxyformic method is reported as a less polluting cellulose extraction process. Optimal cellulose pulp presents enhanced physicochemical properties after bleaching. Cellulose‐reinforced sweet potato starch films exhibit a stable biopolymeric matrix. The films produced show enhanced water barrier and mechanical/thermal properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Sweet potato residue (SPR) is the by-product of starch extraction from fresh sweet potatoes and is rich in carbohydrates, making it a suitable substrate for bioethanol production. An amylolytic industrial yeast strain with co-expressing α-amylase and glucoamylase genes would combine enzyme production, SPR hydrolysis, and glucose fermentation into a one-step process. This consolidated bioprocessing (CBP) shows great application potential in the economic production of bioethanol. In this study, a convenient heterologous gene integration method was developed. Eight copies of a Talaromyces emersonii α-amylase expression cassette and eight copies of a Saccharomycopsis fibuligera glucoamylase expression cassette were integrated into the genome of industrial diploid Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain 1974. The resulting recombinant strains exhibited clear transparent zones in the iodine starch plates, and SDS-PAGE analysis indicated that α-amylase and glucoamylase were secreted into the culture medium. Enzymatic activity analysis demonstrated that the optimal temperature for α-amylase and glucoamylase was 60-70°C, and the pH optima for α-amylase and glucoamylase was 4.0 and 5.0, respectively. Initially, soluble corn starch with a concentration of 100 g/L was initially used to evaluate the ethanol production capability of recombinant amylolytic S. cerevisiae strains. After 7 days of CBP fermentation, the α-amylase-expressing strain 1974-temA and the glucoamylase-expressing strain 1974-GA produced 33.03 and 28.37 g/L ethanol, respectively. However, the 1974-GA-temA strain, which expressed α-amylase and glucoamylase, produced 42.22 g/L ethanol, corresponding to 70.59% of the theoretical yield. Subsequently, fermentation was conducted using the amylolytic strain 1974-GA-temA without the addition of exogenous α-amylase and glucoamylase, which resulted in the production of 32.15 g/L ethanol with an ethanol yield of 0.30 g/g. The addition of 20% glucoamylase (60 U/g SPR) increased ethanol concentration to 50.55 g/L, corresponding to a theoretical yield of 93.23%, which was comparable to the ethanol production observed with the addition of 100% α-amylase and glucoamylase. The recombinant amylolytic strains constructed in this study will facilitate the advancement of CBP fermentation of SPR for the production of bioethanol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China is the largest sweet potato producer in the world. However, the development of the sweet potato industry is severely constrained by viral diseases. The establishment of a universal virus-free tissue culture system, a highly sensitive detection system, and an efficient seed potato (seedling) breeding system are of great significance for the development of the sweet potato industry. A total of 12 main cultivars were subjected to shoot-tip virus elimination treatment using a universal tissue culture system MS+2 mg/L NAA+1.0 mg/L 6-BA, with regeneration rates of over 58% for most cultivars. Specific primers for five viruses, namely SPFMV, SPCSV, SPLV, SPCFV and SPVG, were obtained. The detection limits of these primers for the viruses were 10-6, 10-1, 10-4, 10-3 and 10-3, respectively, indicating high sensitivity. Virus-free lines were selected, and excellent virus-free strains Gan 12 and Fenshu 2-2 were obtained. A three-tier breeding system for virus-free seed potatoes was established, including tissue culture seedlings (first tier), temperature-controlled greenhouse substrate seedlings (second tier) and field seedlings (third tier) for seed production. In addition, a comparison trial was conducted to evaluate the washing rate of seedlings (with roots and without roots), as well as a dual-factor experiment to assess transplanting methods (with roots and without roots) and the number of transplanted seedlings per hole (1-3 plants). Results showed that the treatment without roots significantly increased the washing rate of seedlings. There were no significant differences in plant height, stem thickness, and internode number among groups with different numbers of transplanted seedlings (1-3 plants) during the early stage of seedling growth. The treatment with roots had advantages in early growth, but did not significantly affect the survival rate or the final result of seedling growth. Therefore, this study was beneficial for the prevention and control of sweet potato viral diseases, the promotion of virus-free seed potatoes, and the reduction of seedling production costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sweet potatoes are extremely vulnerable to mechanical wounds during harvesting and postharvest handling. It is highly necessary to take measures to accelerate wound healing. The effect of 20 g L−1 of ascorbic acid (AA) treatment on the wound healing of sweet potatoes and its mechanisms were studied. The results validated that AA treatment significantly reduced the weight loss rate and disease index. AA treatment effectively enhanced the formation speed of lignin and SPP at the wound sites, decreased the MDA content, and maintained the cell membrane integrity. AA enhanced the activities of PAL, C4H, 4CL, CAD, and POD and increased the contents of chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, sinapic acid, ferulic acid, cinnamic acid, p-coumaryl alcohol, sinapyl alcohol, coniferyl alcohol, and lignin. Based on a transcriptomic analysis, a total of 1200 genes were differentially expressed at the sweet potato wound sites by the AA treatment, among which 700 genes were upregulated and 500 genes were downregulated. The KEGG pathway analysis showed that the differentially expressed genes were mainly involved in phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan biosynthesis; phenylpropanoid biosynthesis; and other wound healing-related pathways. As verified by a qRT-PCR, the AA treatment significantly upregulated the gene expression levels of IbSKDH, IbADT/PDT, IbPAL, and Ib4CL at the wound sties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sodium alginate (SA)–purple sweet potato peel extracts (PPE) from industrial waste indicator films were developed at different drying temperatures (25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, and 55 °C). The effects of drying temperatures on the film's structural, physical, and sensitive properties were investigated. On the structural properties, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction indicated that compactness, intermolecular interactions, and crystallinity of indicator films were improved at a lower drying temperature. On the physical properties, with the drying temperature increasing, elongation at the break increased significantly (p < 0.05); ΔE and water-vapor permeability decreased significantly (p < 0.05); and thickness and tensile strength initially increased significantly (90.46 → 98.46, 62.99 → 95.73) and subsequently decreased significantly (98.46 → 71.93, 95.73 → 55.44) (p < 0.05), with the maximum values obtained at 30 °C. On sensitivity, the corresponding colors of the films became lighter as the drying temperature increased, and the films exhibited relatively excellent pH and NH3 sensitivity, with easily discernible color changes at lower temperatures. The results of this paper revealed that the overall film characteristics are improved at lower drying temperatures, which will provide valuable references for selecting the drying temperature for preparing indicator films as a guide for industrialized production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Sweetpotato faces breeding challenges due to physiological and genomic issues. Gamma radiation is a novel approach for inducing genetic variation in crops. We analyzed the transcriptomic changes in gamma rayinduced sweetpotato mutants with altered stem development compared with those in the wild-type 'Tongchaeru' cultivar. Methods: RNA sequencing analyses were performed to identify changes in the expression of genes related to stem development. Results: Transcriptomic analysis identified 8,931 upregulated and 6,901 downregulated genes, including the upregulation of the auxinresponsive SMALL AUXIN UP RNA (SAUR) and three PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING FACTOR 4 (PIF4) genes. PIF4 is crucial for regulating the expression of early auxin-responsive SAUR genes and stem growth in Arabidopsis thaliana. In the mutant, several genes related to stem elongation, including PIF4 and those involved in various signaling pathways such as auxin and gibberellin, were upregulated. Discussion: Our results suggest that gamma ray-induced mutations influence auxin-dependent stem development by modulating a complex regulatory network involving the expression of PIF4 and SAUR genes, and other signaling pathways such as gibberellin and ethylene signaling genes. This study enhances our understanding of the regulatory mechanisms underlying stem growth in sweetpotato, providing valuable insights for genomics-assisted breeding efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Food & Fermentation Industries is the property of Food & Fermentation Industries and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In the relay intercropping system of maize/sweet potato, the growth of the sweet potatoes is seriously limited by weak light stress in the early stage due to shade from maize plants. However, it is not clear how the weak light affects sweet potatoes and causes tuberous root loss. By setting two light intensity levels (weak light = 30% transmittance of normal light), this study evaluated the responses of two sweet potato cultivars with different tolerances to weak light in a field-based experiment and examined the divergence of gene expression related to light and photosynthesis in a pot-based experiment. The results showed that under weak light, the anatomic structure of functional leaves changed, and the leaf thickness decreased by 39.98% and 17.32% for Yuhongxinshu-4 and Wanshu-7, respectively. The ratio of S/R increased, and root length, root superficial area, and root volume all decreased. The photosynthetic enzyme rubisco was weakened, and the net photosynthetic rate (Pn) declined as well. The level of gene expression in Wanshu-7 was higher than that of Yuhongxinshu-4. The KEGG analysis showed that differentially expressed genes from the two cultivars under weak-light stress used the same enrichment pathway, mainly via glutathione metabolism and flavonoid biosynthesis. After full light levels were restored, the differentially expressed genes were all enriched in pathways such as photosynthesis, photosynthetic pigment synthesis, and carbon metabolism. These findings indicated that weak light changed the plant morphology, photosynthetic physiology and gene expression levels of sweet potatoes, which eventually caused losses in the tuberous root yield. The more light-sensitive cultivar (Wanshu-7) had stronger reactions to weak light. This study provides a theoretical basis and strategy for breeding low-light-tolerant varieties and improving relay intercropping production in sweet potatoes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context and background: Microplastics (MPs) and heavy metals (HMs) coexist in the farmland of China. Motivation: It still remains unclear the extent of their exposure and distribution in sweet potato fields. Hypothesis: Polyethylene (PE) or polyamide (PA) is the main MP pollutant in contaminated sweet potato sites, and the MP abundance in low-latitude and eastern areas is highest. Methods: In this study, saturated NaCl solution, a stereo microscope, a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, and an electrothermal digester are used for the extraction, observation, identification of MPs, and analysis of Cd elements in soil, respectively. Methods: In this study, saturated NaCl solution, a stereo microscope, a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, and an electrothermal digester are used for the extraction, observation, identification of MPs, and analysis of Cd elements in soil, respectively. Results: Here, we found an average MP level of 112,400 items/kg in 30 sweet potato field sites based on the items in 5 g soil and the magnification (200x), and the maximum abundance was 197,153 items/kg in Laiyang city, Shandong province, by field survey. The distribution characteristics of MPs are middle-latitude areas < lowlatitude areas, and eastern areas > central areas. Most MPs are of the fragment and film shape, which account for 47.96 and 40.22%, respectively. In order to detect MP polymers in three cities named “Liancheng,” “Huanggang,” and “Laiyang” with different degrees of development, a laser infrared imaging system was used as a novel instrument to explore the MPs larger than 10 μm. Conclusion: The results showed that PA is the main MP pollutant in contaminated sweet potato sites, and soil texture, planting time, and urbanization processes may be the main factors affecting MP distribution. The average cadmium (Cd) concentration in 215 field sites is 0.15  mg/kg, and the local Cd pollution is existing, but the overall pollution is low. In addition, Cd concentration was negatively correlated with MP abundance. This study reveals the status of MP and also Cd pollution in sweet potato fields, which provides a theoretical basis for the safe production and utilization of sweet potato fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

【Objective】The study was conducted to explore the changes in quality of different varieties of fresh sweet potato during storage, which would provide data support and theoretical guidance for the research of storage quality and scientific storage of fresh sweet potato.【Method】In the study, six fresh sweet potato varieties, ‘AN’ ‘G42’ ‘G87’ ‘G72’ ‘G79’ and ‘P32’ were stored at temperature of 18 (±1)℃ and humidity of 70 (±2)% for 60 days. The change rules of indicators such as rot rate, weight loss rate, dry matter weight, amylase activity, starch, soluble sugar, carotenoids and flavor during storage and correlation analysis of these indicators were studied.【Result】After 60 days of storage，the rot rates of ‘AN’ ‘G79’ and ‘P32’ reached 60.87%, 50.00% and 44.00%, showing serious rot; while the rot rates of ‘G87’ and ‘G72’ were only 12.50% and 8.70%. The soluble sugar content and flavor of six fresh sweet potato varieties increased with the extension of storage time, while the starch content decreased. The β-amylase was the main amylase in fresh sweet potato, and the β-amylase activity of ‘G42’ ‘G87’ ‘G79’ and ‘P32’ decreased by 30% to 50% during storage, while that of other varieties decreased by about 10%. In addition, compared with before storage, the carotenoid contents of ‘AN’ and ‘G42’ decreased by 17% to 23% after storage, while the carotenoid contents of the ‘G87’ and ‘G72’ increased by 22% to 36%. After storage for 60 days, there was no significant difference in carotenoids content between ‘G79’ and ‘P32’ compared with that before storage.【Conclusion】The six varieties of fresh sweet potato showed different storage characteristics during storage, among which ‘G87’ and ‘G72’ had a low rot rate during storage, and the storage period could be extended appropriately. ‘G42’ ‘G79’ and ‘P32’ began to rot after 30 days of storage and were not suitable for long-term storage. The flavor of ‘AN’ increased significantly after 15 days of storage, but extensive rot appeared after 45 days of storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water quality is crucial for Apostichopus japonicas farming and may affect its growth and physiological functions. The accumulation of residual bait and feces usually leads to turbidity and high concentration of solid particles in aquaculture water, resulting in nutrient accumulation and frequent disease outbreaks. This poses a huge threat to the A. japonicas farming industry. Therefore, this study aims to explore the effects of different feed binders on water quality, growth and intestinal microbiota of A. japonicus in recirculating aquaculture system (RAS). Five groups were set up, including no binder group and four groups with added 5% sweet potato starch, xanthan gum, guar gum and carrageenan respectively. A. japonicus weighing 20. 0±5. 0 g were used for researching. Each group had three replicates and the experiment last for 42 days. Kruskal-Wallis rank sum test was used to analyze the difference of intestinal microbiota between groups. Redundancy analysis (RDA) and Canonical correlation analysis (CCA) were used to investigate the relationship between water quality and intestinal microbiota of A. japonicus. The results showed that adding binders improved water quality well, with the guar gum group would give a better result. The concentrations of ammonia nitrogen (NH+4-N), nitrate nitrogen (NO-3-N) and total nitrogen (TN) in guar gum group were the lowest at the end of the experiment, and fluctuated less during the experiment. The specific growth rate(RSGR) and feed conversion rate of A. japonicus in sweet potato starch and guar gum groups were significantly higher than that in other groups (P<0. 05) and the skin exfoliation rate (RSER) were increased in both groups. The dominant intestinal microflora of cultivation were Proteobacteria. Vibrionaceae and Rhodobacteraceae were the dominant family. And there was significantly different in intestinal microbiota among the groups. The sweet potato starch group had the highest intestinal microflora richness and diversity, while the lowest in the xanthan gum group. The results of significance difference test between groups showed that the feed with added sweet potato starch increased the abundance of beneficial bacteria of A. japonicus, such as Flavobacteriaceae. There was significant correlation between water quality and intestinal microbiota of A. japonicus(P< 0. 05). At the phylum level, NH+4-N, NO-2-N, NO-3-N were negatively correlated with Firmicutes, Actinobacteriota and Bacteroidota. But positively correlated with Verrucomicrobia and Proteobacteria. At the family level, NH+4-N, NO-2-N, NO-3 -N were positively correlated with Vibrionaceae and Shewanellaceae, while negatively correlated with Flavobacteriaceae and Enterobacteriaceae. Considering the water quality, growth and intestinal microflora of A. japonicus, sweet potato starch and guar gum as feed binder were more conducive to healthy culture of A. japonicus and maintenance the water treatment in RAS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: In response to the growing interest in plant‐based alternatives and vegan diets, this study aimed to develop novel sweet potato‐based vegan protein bars enriched with rice protein (RP) as an alternative protein source. The vegan protein bars (VPBs) formulated with varying RP content (0–32 g) were evaluated for nutritional, textural, microstructural and sensory properties. Nutritional analysis revealed a proportional increase in protein content (8.94%–21.77%) and energy value (310.29–353.32 kcal/100 g) with increasing RP content. The progressive inclusion of RP significantly (P < 0.05) improved the textural properties of VPBs, notably increasing cohesiveness (0.07%–0.60%), chewiness (8.71–105.02 g) and firmness (1453.80–3444.03 kg cm−2), with all VPBs receiving favourable sensory evaluation scores. Importantly, all VPBs received favourable sensory scores. Microstructural analysis revealed the mechanism for textural enhancement in enriched VPBs, indicating a positive correlation between higher RP content and the number and size of surface clumps. Amino acid profiling indicated over 50% increases in valine content and essential amino acid scores in enriched VPBs compared to those without RP. Moreover, protein‐enriched VPBs exhibited superior antioxidant activity. In conclusion, these findings suggest the potential of sweet potato and RP in developing VPBs, highlighting the value of plant‐based ingredients in vegan food products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The effects of water content on the multi‐scale structure and digestibility of sweet potato starch (SPS) during heat‐moisture treatment (HMT) were studied, and the relationship between water content, starch structure and starch digestibility was analysed. The results showed that the surface of SPS granules changed after HMT, mainly in the form of depression, rupture and adhesion, and the change was more obvious with the increase of water content, and the crystalline structure changed from the original A‐type to A + V‐type. The relative crystallinity and double helix content decreased, the thickness of semi‐crystalline layered structure increased, and the peak intensity decreased. The molecular weight of SPS after HMT tended to be distributed in the low molecular weight range of 4 × 104 g mol−1 < Mw <4 × 105 g mol−1. These structural changes promoted the rearrangement of the intermolecular structure of SPS, which made amylase shield the original action site when acting on SPS, and converted part of rapidly digestible starch (RDS) content into slow digestible starch (SDS) and resistant starch (RS) content, resulting in the increase of SDS and RS content. Especially in HMT‐25, the RS content of SPS was the highest, which was 28.60%. The experimental data can provide theoretical support for broadening the application of SPS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) The development of sweet potato storage roots is impacted by nitrogen (N) levels, with excessive nitrogen often impeding development. Starch synthesis enzymes such as sucrose synthase (SUS) and ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase) are pivotal in this context. Although the effects of excessive nitrogen on the formation of sweet potato storage roots are well documented, the specific responses of IbSUSs and IbAGPases have not been extensively reported on. (2) Pot experiments were conducted using the sweet potato cultivar "Pushu 32" at moderate (MN, 120 kg N ha−1) and excessive nitrogen levels (EN, 240 kg N ha−1). (3) Nine IbSUS and nine IbAGPase genes were categorized into three and two distinct subgroups based on phylogenetic analysis. Excessive nitrogen significantly (p < 0.05) suppressed the expression of IbAGPL1, IbAGPL2, IbAGPL4, IbAGPL5, IbAGPL6, IbAGPS1, and IbAGPS2 in fibrous roots and IbSUS2, IbSUS6, IbSUS7, IbSUS8, IbSUS9, IbAGPL2, and IbAGPL4 in storage roots, and then significantly (p < 0.05) decreased the SUS and AGPase activities and starch content of fibrous root and storage root, ultimately reducing the storage root formation of sweet potato. Excessive nitrogen extremely significantly (p < 0.01) enhanced the expression of IbAGPL3, which was strongly negatively correlated with the number and weight of storage roots per plant. (4) IbAGPL3 may be a key gene in the response to excessive nitrogen stress and modifying starch synthesis in sweet potato. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growth-regulating factor (GRF) is a multi-gene family that plays an important role in plant growth and development and is widely present in plants. Currently, GRF gene members have been reported in many plants, but the GRF gene family has not been found in sweet potato. In this study, ten GRF genes were identified in sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas), twelve and twelve were identified in its two diploid relatives (Ipomoea trifida) and (Ipomoea triloba), which were unevenly distributed on nine different chromosomes. Subcellular localization analysis showed that GRF genes of sweet potato, I. trifida, and I. triloba were all located in the nucleus. The expression analysis showed that the expression of IbGRFs was diverse in different sweet potato parts, and most of the genes were upregulated and even had the highest expression in the vigorous growth buds. These findings provide molecular characterization of sweet potato and its two diploid relatives, the GRF families, further supporting functional characterization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small public breeding programs focused on specialty crops have many barriers to adopting technology, particularly creating and using genetic marker panels for genomic-based decisions in selection. Here, we report the creation of a DArTag panel of 3120 loci distributed across the sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas [L.] Lam) genome for molecular-marker-assisted breeding and genomic prediction. The creation of this marker panel has the potential to bring cost-effective and rapid genotyping capabilities to sweetpotato breeding programs worldwide. The open access provided by this platform will allow the genetic datasets generated on the marker panel to be compared and joined across projects, institutions, and countries. This genotyping resource has the power to make routine genotyping a reality for any breeder of sweetpotato. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tackling nutrition insecurity remains a critical challenge in developing countries. In the predominantly rain‐fed and smallholder‐based farming systems of Ethiopia, production diversity and livelihood strategies of the farm households vary across geographic areas. However, the effects of household socioeconomic characteristics, production diversity, and household incomes on nutrition profiles in distinct settings have been inadequately understood. Therefore, this study was undertaken to examine the association of farming system type, sources of income, and household wealth status with household nutrition profiles in three remote locations such as Mennisa, Welmel Tiqa, and Agam Wuha that represent root crops‐based farming, maize‐based semi‐pastoral farming, and teff‐based cereal farming systems, respectively. A combination of qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques was employed. A multistage sampling procedure was used to select a total of 265 smallholder households for the structured survey interviews. Standard statistical tests and Tobit regression analyses were performed after determining the wealth category of each household. Results revealed a diversity of income sources used by each of the farm households with average values of 9 in Mennisa, 10 in Agam Wuha, and 11 in Welmel Tiqa, with the contributions of each income source varying by household wealth category and location. As expected, expenditures on food significantly exceeded those on non‐food categories for poor households and vice versa for rich wealth households. The average total food variety score (FVS) for Welmel Tiqa was twice that for Agam Wuha, confirming the need for site‐specific nutrition profile assessments. Despite the observed differences in household nutrition profiles among wealth categories and locations, the apparent intakes of vitamin A, vitamin B12, vitamin D, and calcium were consistently below the population‐level estimated average requirements across all locations. The number of adequately consumed nutrients by farm households was negatively associated with family size, age of household heads, livestock holdings, wealth categories, and irrigation use, and positively associated with crop production diversity, income diversity, and FVS. The negative association between irrigation use and nutrition security was likely due to the focus on producing crops with a high market value on land under irrigation, coupled with ineffective allocation of generated income for enhancing household nutritional outcomes. Therefore, programs that include irrigated agriculture investments should consider adopting a more integrated nutrition‐sensitive interventions, including consideration of locally adapted nutritious crops, such as orange‐flesh sweet potato, to address critical deficiency of Vitamin A, nutrition training coupled with development of recipes and cooking demonstrations, and marketing and promotion for nutritious crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam is a dicotyledonous plant originally from tropical regions, with China and Spain acting as the main producers from outside and within the EU, respectively. The root, including only flesh, is the edible part, and the peel, leaves, stems, or shoots are considered by-products, which are generated due to being discarded in the field and during processing. Therefore, this study aimed to perform a comprehensive review of the nutritional value, phytochemical composition, and health-promoting activities of purple-fleshed sweet potato and its by-products, which lead to its potential applications in bakery products for the development of functional foods. The methodology is applied to the selected topic and is used to conduct the search, review abstracts and full texts, and discuss the results using different general databases. The studies suggested that purple-fleshed sweet potato parts are characterized by a high content of essential minerals and bioactive compounds, including anthocyanins belonging to the cyanidin or the peonidin type. The flesh and leaves are also high in phenolic compounds and carotenoids such as lutein and β-carotene. The high content of phenolic compounds and anthocyanins provides the purple-fleshed sweet potato with high antioxidant and anti-inflammatory power due to the modulation effect of the transcription factor Nrf2 and NF-kB translocation, which may lead to protection against hepatic and neurological disorders, among others. Furthermore, purple-fleshed sweet potato and its by-products can play a dual role in food applications due to its attractive color and wide range of biological activities which enhance its nutritional profile. As a result, it is essential to harness the potential of the purple-fleshed sweet potato and its by-products that are generated during its processing through an appropriate agro-industrial valorization system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nuclear factor Y (NF-Y) is a heterotrimeric complex composed of three unique subunits: NF-YA, NF-YB, and NF-YC. This transcription factor complex binds to the CCAAT box of eukaryotic promoters, playing a crucial role in various biological processes in plants. Despite its importance, the NF-Y gene family has not been reported in the sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) genome, an important food and energy crop. Understanding the role and function of NF-Y in sweet potatoes could provide valuable insights for genetic improvement and yield enhancement. To address this gap, our research aimed to comprehensively catalog and characterize the NF-Y genes in sweet potatoes, which we refer to as 'IbNF-Y', where 'Ib' denotes Ipomoea batatas. A total of 37 NF-Ys were identified, including 11 NF-YA, 21 NF-YB, and 5 NF-YC members, and their phylogeny, gene structure, chromosomal distribution, and conserved motifs were analyzed. Additionally, we assessed their expression patterns under salt stress in both light and dark conditions using transcriptome sequencing. Notably, we discovered that certain IbNF-Y genes showed significant changes in expression under salt stress, suggesting their potential roles in sweet potato's adaptation to saline environments. Furthermore, our work enriches the genomics and genetic research on sweet potatoes and contributes valuable knowledge to the broader scientific community of the Convolvulaceae family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]