Instant Insights: Sweetpotato

Dr Erna Abidin is CIP Seed System Scientist and Project Manager for Jumpstarting Orange Fleshed Sweetpotato in West Africa through Diversified Markets. She has over 20 years sweetpotato experience and is based in Tamale, Ghana.

• Chapter 1 - Sweetpotato genetic resources: today and tomorrow: Robert L. Jarret, USDA-ARS, USA; Noelle L. Anglin and David Ellis, International Potato Center, Peru; Arthur Villordon, Sweet Potato Research Station, USA; Phillip Wadl and Michael Jackson, USDA-ARS, USA; and Genoveva Rossel, International Potato Center, Peru; 1 Introduction2 Origin and dispersal3 Archaeological data4 General botany5 Sweetpotato genebanks/germplasm collections6 In vitro germplasm storage7 Quality control8 Management of sweetpotato CWR9 Plant quarantine/phytosanitary issues/IPR10 International treaties11 Sweetpotato germplasm12 NGS applications to sweetpotato and its CWR13 Conclusion and future trends14 Acknowledgement15 Where to look for further information16 ReferencesChapter 2 - Developing new sweet potato varieties with improved performance: Peng Zhang, Weijuan Fan, Hongxia Wang, Yinliang Wu and Wenzhi Zhou, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China; and Jun Yang, Shanghai Chenshan Plant Science Research Center, Shanghai Chenshan Botanical Garden, China; 1 Introduction2 Genetic transformation of sweet potato from model cultivars to farmer-preferred cultivars3 Production of disease-resistant sweet potato4 Production of sweet potato resistant to abiotic stresses5 Starch modification for industrial applications6 Increased understanding of storage root development for better yield7 Production of purple sweet potato with increased anthocyanin content8 Conclusion and perspectives9 Where to look for further information10 Acknowledgements11 ReferencesChapter 3 - Improving the breeding, cultivation and use of sweetpotato in Africa: Putri Ernawati Abidin and Edward Carey, International Potato Center (CIP), Ghana; 1 Introduction2 Programmes for improving sweetpotato as a crop3 Developments in breeding and seed dissemination4 Improvements in cultivation and post-harvest handling5 Nutritional quality and its improvement6 Crop diversification for new uses7 Case studies: Malawi8 Case studies: Ghana9 Conclusion and future trends10 Where to look for further information11 Acknowledgements12 References