Sweet Potatoes
Programme Overview
CARDI, under the CARICOM Regional Transformation Programme for Agriculture, now being operationalised by the ‘Jagdeo Initiative’, has lead responsibility for the development of regional sweet potato industry. CARDI's sweet potatoes programme uses the commodity value chain approach (Figure 1) to pursue the development of the regional industry. Actions being undertaking by CARDI along the commodity value chain include the characterisation of sweet potato varieties found in various countries for production, productivity and value added products (flour, fries, juice, etc), multiplication and distribution of disease-free planting material to farmers, development and transfer of production technologies and investment profiles, identification and transfer of low resource and cost effective post harvest techniques and capacity building in stakeholders of sweet potato Integrated Pest Management (IPM) tactics.
Highlights of Recent Activities
Activities of Regional Scope
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During 26-27 March 2008 some 25 stakeholders representing CARDI, Ministries of Agriculture (Barbados, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago), Tobago House of Assembly, Farmers and Farmers Organisations (Christiana Potato Growers Cooperative Association Ltd., Eastern Caribbean Trading, Agriculture Development Organisation), Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture, Marketing Board (Barbados), National Agricultural Research Institute (Guyana), Scientific Research Council (Jamaica) and University of the West Indies met in St Vincent and the Grenadines to review the trends in development and challenges in sweet potato production, processing, technology transfer and trade. The principal outcome of the workshop was a compilation of research and development needs and responsibilities along the commodity value chain. CARDI was assigned lead role for 16 of the 25 R&D needs in the areas of marketing information gathering, germplasm characterisation / evaluation, production systems, (including evaluation of varieties, soil and water management, plant nutrition and pest management), post harvest management and technology transfer
Activities of National Scope
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In St Lucia, four local varieties, ‘Caten’, ‘St. Vincent’, ‘Tomorrow’ and ‘Zabwico’, were collected and established in evaluation germplasm at the CARDI field station and characterised morphologically. Yield trials showed ‘Zabwico’ as the most productive (70.6 t/ha) and ‘Caten’ the least productive (13.9 t/ha), although the latter was most preferred by consumers for its eating characteristics.
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In Jamaica, a significant interaction has been established between varietal yields and the location of cultivation suggesting that varieties need to be matched with conditions that are most suitable for their growth and development. Consistent with the results of the 2005-2006 planting season, the sweetpotato varieties, ‘Eustace’ ‘Clarendon’, and ‘Miss Mac’ were among the top five producers across all the three locations in which the testing was done in 2007. Mean yields per plant ranged from 0.64–0.24 kg, 0.59-0.12 kg and 0.98-0.17 kg for ‘Eustace’, ‘Clarendon’ and ‘Ms Mac’, respectively.
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A characterisation exercise for value added products of sweet potato varieties from Barbados, Jamaica, St Kitts/Nevis, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago, funded under the CARICOM/Japan Friendship Agreement Programme, has categorised several varieties suitable for flour, fries and juices. Varieties suitable for flour include ‘Caroline Lee’ (Barbados), ‘Eustace’ (Jamaica), ‘Clarke’ (St Kitts/Nevis), ‘Mandela’ (St Lucia), ‘Lover’s Name’ (St Vincent and the Grenadines and ‘Chicken Foot’ (Trinidad and Tobago). Those suitable for fries were ‘CBS49’ (Barbados), ‘SLU#1’ (St Lucia), ‘Wiliam’s White’ (St Vincent and the Grenadines) and ‘St Vincent Unknown’ (Trinidad and Tobago). ‘Centennial’ from Trinidad and Tobago was found suitable for juice. Extended work in Jamaica has also shown that the chemical characteristics could vary with the location of cultivation. For example, the average moisture content of ten varieties of sweet potato grown in Ebony Park, Clarendon was 65.4% compared to 58.3% for those grown in Clairmont, St Ann. The average carbohydrate content for the two locations was 31.0% and 38.6% for Ebony Park and Clairmont, respectively.
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The productivity of sweet potato in the region, like that of hot pepper is greatly influenced by pests. In Jamaica, despite the use of tolerant varieties, plastic mulch and selective insecticides, root damage by sweet potato weevil Cylas formicarius (Coleoptera: Apionidae) and sweet potato leaf beetle Typophorus nigritus viridicyaneus (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) was still very high (75%) in the most recent studies. On the other hand, in St Vincent and the Grenadines, the use of Actara and Admire insecticides proved successful in controlling the sweet potato grub (Phyllophaga sp). But the preferred biological control agents – Beauvaria, Natutalis T & O and Botanigard - were not as effective as the chemicals.
PUBLICATIONS
Factsheets
Construction and use of pheromone traps in sweet potato production. [1990s]. Lawrence J and Myers P. [St. Augustine, Trinidad]:Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute.
Keywords: Sweet potato, Pests, Pest control, Sweet potato weevil, Cylas formicarius
Integrated pest management of the sweet potato weevil. [1990s]. Lawrence J. [St. Augustine, Trinidad]: Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute.
Keywords: Integrated pest management, Sweet potato, Pests, Sweet potato weevil, Cylas formicarius
Proceedings
Dalip, K M. 2002. Integrated Pest Management: General principles of IPM and strategies used against the sweet potato weevil, Cylas formicarius. Presentation at Sweet potato Open Day/Symposium, St Kitts, November 26, 2002.
Titus P and Dalip K. 2006.Managing the white grub Phyllophaga spp. (Coleoptera:Scarabaeidae) affecting sweet potato, Ipomoea batatas L (Convolulaceae) in St Vincent and the Grenadines. Paper presented at the 42nd Annual Meeting of the Caribbean Food Crops Society, Puerto Rico, 9-15 July, 2006.
Technical Publications
Jackson D M, Lawrence J*, Dalip K M*, Chung P, Clarke-Harris D*, Bohac J R, Tolin S, Edwards, C and Seal D R. 2003.The sweet potato leaf beetle, Typophorus nigritus viridicyaneus (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), an emerging pest in Jamaica: distribution and host plant resistance. Tropical Agriculture (Trinidad) 80: 235-242
* CARDI
Other Resources
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