Brief Extensions of Curing and Presprouting Increased Plant Production from Bedded Sweetpotato

Abstract

`Georgia Jet' and `Jewel' sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas L.) roots were cured (32 ±C lC, 85% ± 5% relative humidity (RH)] for 7 days immediately after harvest and then subjected to 0, 4, 8, or 12 additional days of curing before storage (16 ± lC, 85% ± 5% RI-I). Roots were presprouted (32 ± lC, 85% ± 5% RH) for 0, 4, 8, or 12 days before bedding. Plant emergence of `Georgia Jet' was accelerated with increasing duration of curing, but emergence of both cultivars was accelerated with increasing duration of short-interval presprouting. With increasing duration of extended curing, there was a nonlinear increase in the number of early and total `Georgia Jet' plants. However, with increasing duration of presprouting, there was a linear increase in the number of early and total plants of both cultivars. Average weights of early and total `Jewel' plants were higher than those of `Georgia Jet' plants. Treatments did not influence deterioration of bedded roots or the number of sprouts remaining on roots of a cultivar after 9 weeks of plant harvest. However, `Jewel' roots retained more sprouts than `Georgia Jet' roots, possibly indicating greater capacity for continued production of plants from `Jewel' than `Georgia Jet' if additional plant harvests were conducted.