2017 ASHS Annual Conference

Sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas), is a tuberous root crop that can be grown with three to four harvests a year in the Caribbean. Sweetpotatoes are normally propagated by cutting or slips, while breeding uses seed production to develop new varieties. Germination of true sweetpotato seeds is irregular over time. The research objective was to use scarification to shorten the length of time and enhance germination uniformity of hard coated sweetpotato seeds. Sweetpotato seeds were obtained from reciprocal crosses between varieties in an attempt to obtain a weevil resistant purple sweetpotato. A nail clipper was used to cut through one of the three edges of the sweetpotato seed. Scarified and un-scarified seeds were planted in sterile potting mix and placed in a light and temperature controlled growth room. Data on rate of seed germination was recorded over time. Within four days 80% of the scarified seeds had emerged while none of the unscarified seeds had emerged. The germination of unscarified seeds ranged from one week to over 50 days. Scarification can be used to enhance germination rate and uniformity of the hard coated sweetpotato seed.