A review on sweet potato with special focus on Hungarian production I : utilization, biology and transplant production

Sweet potato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.] is a root crop plant of tropical-subtropical origin which is widely produced in the temperate zone, too. Along with several European countries, it is also grown in Hungary for decades but the increase of its growing area was stimulated by the continuously increasing consumers’ demand in the last couple of years. Despite the available cultivation guides and experiences, yield stability is still not fully solved, growing site- and genotype-specific recommendations are still missing. Due to the lack of severe plant health problems detected until our days, a Pathogen Tested (PT) scheme for the production of sweet potato planting material has not been organized yet. With the increase of the growing area, however, the occurrence of various diseases and even that of leaf and root pests is expected, possibly in a short period. Thus, the stabilization of sweet potato among the cultivated plants in Hungary will require the establishing of a PT scheme for the country’s conditions, as far as possible, under the control of the responsible supervisory organizations

A review on sweet potato with special focus on Hungarian production II : agronomy

Sweet potato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.], despite its tropical-subtropical origin, has successfully been grown for centuries also in temperate climate. Regarding the various aspects of agronomy, there are general rules that must be followed irrespective of the site of growing. These include the avoidance of forecrops promoting the accumulation of root-damaging pests and pathogens, as well as those increasing the risk of excessive N release; potassium-stressed nutrient supply; planting spacing in the 100 cm x 30 cm range; irrigation in the first 30-40 days; careful harvesting and post-harvest curing of storage roots, among others. Even these factors, however, must be adjusted to the conditions of the site of growing and, as far as possible, to the cultivars chosen. In our days in Hungary, cultivation methods based on international sweet potato literature or adapted from technologies of other crops of similar requirements are generally in use and continuously modified by individual experiences. The planning of scientifically recognized experiments for establishing site- and cultivar-specific approaches to all aspects of agronomy must consider all this information