This document provides information on the course Production Technology of Vegetable Crops (VSC-502) taught at the College of Horticulture in Bagalkot, Karnataka, India. It introduces sweet potato as the topic of focus, discussing its botanical details, origin, nutritional value, varieties cultivated in India, production practices including soil and climate requirements, propagation methods, and pest and disease management. The document aims to educate students on the production aspects and importance of sweet potato.

1. Course:- Production Technology of vegetable Crops (VSC-502)
To
Dr. Raveendra Jawadagi
Professor, Dept of Vegetable
Science,
College of Horticulture ,Bagalkot By
R.VISHAL
Junior M.Sc. Vegetable Science,
College of Horticulture ,Bagalkot
UNIVERSITY OF HORTICULTURAL SCIENCES
BAGALKOT
COLLEGE OF HORTICUTURE BAGALKOT

2. Welcome

3. INTRODUCTION
Tropical tuber crops are 2nd most important
crops after cereals
Play remarkable role nutritional security
The average productivity in world is
10.88 t/ha
In India the production is 6.58 mt from an
area of 0.24 m ha.
nbaindia.org

4. Sweet Potato

5. Sweet Potato
5
Botanical name : Ipomoea batatas
Family : Convolvulaceae
Origin : SouthAmerica
Chromosome number : 2n = 6x = 90
It is an important starchy food crop through
out the tropical and subtropical countries.
Popularly known as Sakarkand in India
Palaniswami and Peter, 2008

6. Sweet Potato
6
Health
Benefits of
sweet potato
Nutritious food
“(Poor man
Food)”
Beta carotene &
Anthocyanin
Good for
Diabetics,stablize
the blood sugar
level
Rich source of
Vitamins(Vit
A,B6,Vit C)
Antioxidants in
Purple sweet
potato
Palaniswami and Peter, 2008

7. Constituents Sweet potato
Dry matter % 19-35
Starch % 10-28
Energy (Kcal/100g) 114
Total sugars % 1.5-5.0
Fiber % 1.0
Protein % 1.0-2.5
Lipids (g) 0.4
Vitamin A (mg/100 g FW) 900
Vitamin C (mg/100 g FW) 35
Ca (mg/100 g ) 32
P (mg/100 g ) 47
Fe (mg/100 g ) 0.7
Na (mg/100 g ) 10
K (mg/100 g ) 243
Bradbury and Holloway, 1988
Table .1. Nutritional composition of 100 g edible Tuber crops

8. CENTRE OF ORIGIN AND DISTRIBUTION
8

9. DISTRIBUTION IN
INDIA
Mandal,2006

10. AREA & PROUCTION OF SWEET POTATO
TOTAL AREA: 116 M ha
TOTAL PRODUCTION: 1186 MT
States Area Production
Tamilnadu 89.61 2862.14
Kerala 54.73 1725.98
Andra
Pradesh
12.68 192.15

11. USES
 Eaten usually after boiling, baking and frying and may
be candied with or used as a puree.
 Tubers are utilized for canning, dehydrating and flour
manufacture.
 Important source of starch, glucose, pectin, sugar syrup
and industrial alcohol.
 Sweet potato is the cheapest source of calories.
 Also contains appreciable amount of vitamin A, B, and
C.

12. Species Diversity
Species Used for
Ipomoea mauritiana Medicinal purpose
Ipomoea aquatica Medicinal purpose
Ipomoea companulata Antidote for snake poison
Ipomoea marginata Leaves are used as shampoo
Palaniswami and Peter, 2008

13. SWEET POTATO CULTIVARS
The Central Tuber Crops Research Institute
(CTCRI), Thiruvananthapuram developed quite a
good number of varieties
Varsha: A semi-spreading hybrid with reddish
purple skin, light yellow flesh and excellent
cooking quality; yield 18-22 t/ha in 120-125 days.
Sree Nandini: A spreading variety with light
cream skin, white flesh and good cooking quality;
yield 20-25 t/ha in 100-105 days.

14. Sree Vardhini: A semi-spreading variety with purple
skin, light orange flesh and high carotene content (1200
I.U.); yield 20-25 t/ha in 100-105 days. Tolerant to
Feathery mottle virus.
Sree Ratna: A spreading variety with purple skin, orange
flesh and excellent cooking quality; yield 20-26 t/ha in 90-
105 days.
Sree Bhadra: A semi-spreading variety with light pink
skin and cream flesh; resistant to root knot nematode;
yield 20-27 t/ha in 90-95 days.
Sree Arun: A spreading variety with pink skin, cream
flesh and good cooking quality; yield 20-28 t/ha in 90-100
day.

15. Sree Varun: A spreading variety with cream skin, cream
flesh and good cooking quality; yield 20-28 t/ha in 90-100
days. The Kerala Agricultural University developed an
improved variety, Kanjangad, yielding 12. 39 t/ ha. Purple
coloured and spindle shaped tubers have yellow soft flesh.
It is tolerant to shade and weevil incidence.
Pusa Safed (IARI): This is a selection of a white variety
originally introduced from Taiwan. A high yielding, table
variety with wide adaptability.The tubers are somewhat
elongate, white skinned and white fleshed. The boiled
flesh is creamy white, moist, sweet and very palatable,
duration of 105 days, less affected by weevil, 26-30 t/ha.

16. Sunehri (IARI): It is a selection from material
obtained from the USA. The tubers are elongate,
light brown skinned and yellow fleshed. The
boiled flesh is attractive orange yellow, moist and
sweet. The tubers contain 24.8 ppm of carotene.
Pusa Lal (IARI): This is a selection from a
Japanese variety (Norin). A purplish red skinned
and white fleshed variety which produces a high
proportion of marketable tubers. Popular in Delhi,
Punjab, Rajasthan, UP, Maharashtra.

17. Kalmegh (RAU, Bihar): A new selection with
extra early bulking. Duration is 90 days with a
tuber yield of 26 - 32 t/ha and could be easily fitted
in 4 crops in a year rotation that is maize, sweet
potato, wheat and moong (Green gram).
Samrat (APAU): Selection from the open
pollinated seedling progeny. Tubers are fusiform
with light pink skin and white flesh. Early
maturing with a tuber yield of 18-24 t/ha.
Moderately resistant to sweet potato weevil.

18. Red type Sweet Potato White type Sweet Potato

19. SOIL
 The best soil is sandy loam and clay subsoil.
 It can be grown in loamy to clay loam soil also.
 Soil should be well drained and soil pH varies from 5.2
to 6.7.
 Heavy clay soil and highly sandy soil are undesirable.

20. CLIMATE
 It requires moderately warm weather.
 Temperature ranges between 21.1-26.7 ̊C
 Temperature less than 20̊C was found
tuberisation.
critical for
 Requires plenty of sunshine and moderate rainfall i.e.
75 to 150 cm.
 H igh rainfall and long photoperiod promote vine
growth and reduces tuber yield.

21. PROPAGATION
 Sweet potatoes are propagated from sprouts or from slips (vine
cuttings), sprouts are preferred. Sprouts are grown from plant
stock selected for its appearance, freedom from disease and
off-types.
 Approximately 75-100 kg of planting stock sweet potatoes are
needed to produce enough sprouts to plant one hectare.
Selected tubers are planted at a spacing of 45 x 30 cm & 5-6
cm deep.
 The sprouts are cut after 40-45 days and planted in secondary
nursery. The cuttings 20-30 cm in length are planted in this
nursery at a distance of 60 x 30 cm.
 For 1 ha, primary nursery of 100m² and a secondary nursery of
500 m² are required.

22. SWEET POTATO CUTTINGS

23.  Planting Season:
June-July and September are highly suitable for
planting.
 Manures and Fertilizers:
Farmyard manure :100-150 q/ha.
90: 60: 90 kg N, P₂O₅ and K₂O per ha. Half of dose
nitrogenous fertilizer is applied as basal and half dose 40 days
after planting.

24.  Irrigation:
The critical stage of moisture supply is 40 days after
planting and earthing up (35DAP) may be followed by
irrigation.
 Interculture and Weed control:
In early stages of crop growth i.e. up to two months after
planting, weeds are a problem to sweet potato. Two manual
weedings at 20 and 45 days after planting are sufficient to keep
the weeds under control. Earthing up is done at second
weeding to prevent exposure of roots (particularly during rainy
season). Fluchloralin @ 1.0 kg/ha in the soil as pre-planting to
control the weeds is effective. Also, application of chloramben
@ 3.0 kg/ha at post planting stage control the weeds.

25. EFFECT OF GROWTH SUBSTANCES
 Foliar application of CCC at 250,500 and 1000 ppm
increased the yield.
 Application of ethephon at 250 ppm results in larger
number of tubers and higher yield.
 Foliar application of kinetin at 50 and 100 ppm caused
higher tuber yield of (number, fresh and dry weight)

26. HARVESTING
 Sweet potato is usually harvested when the leaves turn
yellow begin to shed.
 Maturity can be ascertained by cutting tuber and the latex
from mature tuber dries up without turning black.
 The time of harvesting differs with cultivar which may
extend from 120-180 days.
 Avoid mechanical injuries while digging out tubers.

27. YIELD AND STORAGE
 Yield:
Under irrigated conditions-35-40 t/ha
Under rainfed conditions-8-10t/ha
 Storage:
Highly perishable nature of tubers of sweet potato
does not permit it to be stored for a long period in the
tropics.
Sweet potato were successfully cured at RH 80-
90% and temperature 29-40C̊ for 5-7 days.

28.  Stem Rot or Wilt
(Fusarium oxysporum f.
batatus)
 Symptoms: Leaves
become yellow along with
discoloration of vascular
bundles. The fungus
infects tuber and causes
circular shrunken spots.
 Management:
 Use clean,
planting material
Crop rotation
healthy

 Resistant varieties
Diseases

29.  Black rot (Certocytis
fimbriata)
 Symptoms: Yellow sickly
appearance of foliage and
black spot on tubers.
 Management:
 Use clean healthy planting
material
 Dip cutting in 0.2%
solution of Aretan or
Agallol before planting.

30.  Cercospora leaf spot ( Cercospora bataticola)
 Symptoms: Dark brown leaf spots with a light shade
at the centre.
 Management:
 Three spraying of 0.25% Dithane M-45 at fortnightly
interval is effective.
 Soil rot (Streptomyces ipomoea)
 Symptoms: On tubers infection starts as a spot and
with irregular
the skin collapses leaving cavities
margins.
 Management:
 Maintain Soil pH (5.2 or less)

31.  Scurf (Monilochaetes
infuscans)
 Symptoms: Produces black
spot of varying sizes and
shapes on the tubers.
 Management:
 Good drainage
 Application of sulphur @
300-400 lb/acre to neutral
soils.

32.  Soft rot (Rhizopus nigricans)
 Symptoms: Soft watery rot on tuber and fleshy tissue
becomes soft and water exudes from affected skin
Tissue becomes brownish.
 Management:
 Proper temperature and a RH of 85-90% should be
maintained.

33. Pests of Sweat Potato

34. 1.Sweet potato weevil:
Cylas formicularis
Symptoms of damage
Thickening and malformation of vines and often cracking
of the tissue
Discoloration, cracking, or wilting of damaged wines
An infested tuber is often riddled with cavities or tunnels
Attacked tubers become spongy, brownish to blackish in
appearance
Start rotting from the top and develop an unpleasant smell
and a bitter taste and become unfit for human consumption

35.  Sweet Potato Weevil(Cylas formicarius)

36. Larva Adult
Larval feeding Infested tubers

37. Management
1. Use insect-free vines as planting material
2. Flooding of infested fields for at least 48 hours after completing harvest
(Leads to rotting of the left over plant materials and thereby reduce weevil
densities)
3. Remove alternate host, Ipomea sp and destroy them
4. Use cut sweet potato tubers (100g) as trap during 50-80 DAP at 10 days
interval
(Set the trap at 5 pm evening and collect and destroy adult weevils at 6
AM next day)
5. Rake up the soil and take earthing up at 50 days after planting
6. Spray with Methyl parathion@ 1 ml/l or Oxidemeton methyl@ 1 ml/l

38. 2. Tortoise beetles: Aspidiomorpha miliaris,
Cassida circumdata
Chirida bipunctata
Family: Chrysomelidae
Order: Coleoptera

39. Different types of tortoise beetles
Aspidiomorpha miliaris Cassida circumdata
Chirida bipunctata

40. Symptoms of damage:
 Young grub scrape on the upper surface of
the leaves
 Older grub and adults bite large round
holes in the leaves
 Leads to drying of leaves from top to
bottom

41. Larva Adult
Papery translucent patches Damage caused by adult Tortoise beetle

42. Management:
1. Collect and kill the grubs
2. Use insect-free vines as planting material
3. Use yellow sticky trap @12/ha
4. Spray crop with Malathion @ 2 ml/lt
5. Spray Chlorpyriphos @ 2 ml/l at 21 days interval at the
time of harvesting sweet potato

43. 3. Sphinx caterpillar: Agrius convolvuli
Family: Sphingidae
Order: Lepidoptera
 It is commonly called as hornworm or giant hawk moth
 It is widely distributed in Europe, Africa, Iran, Indian
sub-continent, South-East Asia, SouthChina,Australia
and New Zealand
Host range: It is a polyphagous pest, attacking a number of
crops including fruit trees, legumes, vegetables, etc.

44.  It is active during monsoon season
 Moths are stout, pale grey in colour having pale grey wings
with transverse violet bands on abdomen
 Females lay eggs singly on the
tender parts of plant
 Full-grown caterpillars are robust, green to dark brown in
colour with reddish patches on sides and a curved horn like
process at the anal end
 Pupae are reddish-brown in colour and pupation takes place
in soil
 Caterpillars feed voraciously on leaves and defoliate the vines

46. Management
1. Hand picking and destroying the caterpillar is the best
method, if infestation is less
2. This pest can be controlled by spraying the crop with
Chlorpyriphos @ 2 ml/l, if infestation is very severe

47. Other miner pests
4. Hairy caterpillars
5. Leaf hoppers
6. Blue pancy beetle

48. Potential Impacts of Orange fleshed sweet
potato(OFSP) in alleviating Vit A deficiencies

49. Case study- 1 Journal of Nutrition & Food Sciences
Nutritional Status of Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potatoes in
alleviating Vitamin-A malnutrition through a Food-Based
approach
Objective: To study the Assessment of Nutritional
quality of tubers of different genotypes of
OFSP for Optimum yield and quality.
Mitra, 2012
Dept of Post Harvest Technology of Horticultural Crops,
AICRP on Tuber Crops of West Bengal, India

50. Material and methods
• Experimental material: 15 exotic and indigenous orange fleshed
cultivars of sweet potato
• Season : Winter
• Experimental design : Randomized block design
• Replication : 3
Fig. 1. Different cultivars of orange fleshed sweet potatoes
Mitra, 2012

51. Table 2. Performance of orange fleshed sweet potato genotypes harvested at
120 DAP
GENOTYPES Total Tuber
Yield(t/ha)
Dry matter (%) Starch (%)
S-61 18.33 23.42 9.26
S-594 21.66 25.51 10.84
S-1156 15.00 26.13 17. 38
S-1281 13.33 26.52 15.37
SV-98 24.16 24.46 9.71
362/7 20.23 25.67 9.93
IGSP-15 19.99 24.73 10.13
CIP SWA-2 21.66 24.27 9.54
187017-1 6.67 25.34 14.17
440038 23.58 22.53 8.98
440127 26.66 23.42 9.19
420027 9.99 24.78 13.92
ST-14 22.16 24.16 8.23
Kamala sundari 27.48 22.47 7.68
90/101 26.87 21.23 8.82
CD at 5% 2.51 1.46 2.14
Mitra, 2012

52. GENOTYPES Ascorbic acid
mg/100g
β-Carotene
content
(mg/100g)
Total sugar (0B) Retention of β-
Carotene in cooked
tubers(%)
S-61 14.37 4380 2.41 87.76
S-594 12.87 5840 2.39 82.28
S-1156 13.75 4730 2.48 76.69
S-1281 14.57 5420 2.54 81.46
SV-98 26.82 4860 2.42 78.65
362/7 15.78 6970 2.79 84.08
IGSP-15 13.92 2890 2.49 79.82
CIP SWA-2 15.76 6570 2.61 81.29
187017-1 17.31 3120 2.24 78.32
440038 13.97 5470 2.67 76.56
440127 15.29 2580 2.56 79.63
420027 14.12 2710 2.28 77.77
ST-14 18.66 9740 2.69 87.22
Kamala sundari 21.54 6430 2.63 81.56
90/101 19.93 4060 2.47 80.44
CD at 5% 0.72 1.54 0.14 2.18
Table.3. Nutritional composition of orange fleshed sweet potato genotypes
Mitra, 2012

53. •OFSP emerged as one of the promising source of beta-carotein,
they can supply daily requirement of vitamin-A
•Replacing the white fleshed sweet potato variety with new orange
fleshed like ST-14, Kamala sundari, 362/7, having high β carotene
Mitra, 2012
Inference

54. Thank You