2019 ASHS Annual Conference

Sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas L.) belongs to Convolvulaceae family, is an important crop for food security. As one of the top three vegetable crops grown in Mississippi, one major limitation to sweetpotato production is the cumulative effect of virus infection causing cultivar decline and yield losses. Technology such as meristem-tip culture can provide farmers with healthy propagating materials that are free of detectable viruses. However, it has not been well practiced in Mississippi, particularly in the small farms. In this study, we used meristem-tip culture technology combined with heat treatment to produce sweetpotato propagating materials that are free of detectable viruses. In this study, totally 15 lines of sweetpotato have been collected and processed for virus removal. Following laboratory treatment, field practices for virus-tested sweetpotato have been conducted since 2015. Virus-tested sweetpotato demonstration and virus disease diagnostics training were held at ASU field days since 2016. The overall goal of this project is to establish and employ a virus-free sweetpotato program in Mississippi for limited resource farmers, aiming at increasing the sweetpotato yield, quality and investment return for small holders.