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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Charleston, South Carolina » Vegetable Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #74168
Title: W-274 SWEETPOTATO BREEDING LINE

Author
item Bohac, Janice
item DUKES, PHILIP - ARS (RETIRED)
item MUELLER, JOHN - CLEMSON UNIVERSITY
item JONES, ALFRED - ARS (RETIRED)
item SCHALK, JAMES - ARS (RETIRED)
item Harrison Jr, Howard
item Simmons, Alvin

Submitted to: HortScience
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/3/1998
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Sweetpotatoes are subject to economic damage by many insects pests, diseases, and nematodes in the soil. This damage can affect yield or cause rotting and deterioration in long term storage. The sweetpotato breeding line W-274 combines useful levels of resistance to these pests. This line is a seedling offspring from sweetpotato parents that were selected and crossed because of their natural resistances to these many insect pests, diseases, and nematodes. W-274 was also selected because it is a consistently high yielder of many uniform, nicely shaped roots. The roots have a light copper skin and orange flesh and hold up well in long-term storage. The baked roots are sweet and moist with excellent quality, flavor and texture. The line sprouts well and produces many cuttings for propagation. W-274 should be most useful to home gardeners and organic farmers who wish to limit pesticide usage. It should also be a useful parent for other sweetpotato breeders.

Technical Abstract: The sweetpotato breeding line W-274 is a high yielding clone with multiple-pest resistance. The storage roots of W-274 are attractive with orange flesh, light copper skin and are well shaped. The baked roots are sweet and moist with excellent quality, flavor, and texture. W-274 originated as a seedling of maternal parent W-233 from an open-pollinated polycross of 29 parents with multiple pest resistance. W-274 is highly resistant to Fusarium wilt, resistant to the southern root-knot nematode, and has some resistance to sclerotial blight, Chlorotic Leaf Distortion, leaf blight, and internal cork (caused by a strain of the feathery mottle virus). The level of resistance of W-274 to damage by the Wireworm- Diabrotica-Systena (WDS) complex of soil insects and sweetpotato flea beetles appears to be adequate, but not as high as the resistant cultivar 'Regal'. W-274 is susceptible to attack by the larvae of the white grub. W-274 should be a useful sweetpotato clone for home gardeners and organic farmers who wish to limit pesticide usage. It should also be a useful parent for other sweetpotato breeders.