PRODUCTION OF MINOR FOOD CROPS

Ipomoea batatas
Prepared by :
Mohd Ridzuan Abdul Rashid
Wan Aminuddin Wan Aman
Amir Afuan Nordin
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 IMPORTANCE
 Sweet potatoes rank as the 5th most important
crop for developing countries.

 World annual production: 133 million tons.

 China grows 85% of the world production

- 1st producer sweet potato production
- 2nd
Nigeria.

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Sweet Potato Industry Important

 Nutritious and delicious

vegetables.
 Play an important role in
the future energy supply
from biomass production.
 The “A.C.E.” vitamins are
known as the anti-
oxidant set and play a
role in cancer
prevention.

 Additional phytochemicals
found in sweet potatoes (in
purple sweet potato
varieties) may also be an
anti-cancer advantage. 6
INTRODUCTION
 Sweet potato production – spread evenly over
the country.

 I. batatas is the only crop plant of major

importance—some others are used locally, but
many are actually poisonous.

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INTRODUCTION
 An orange-flesh sweet potato contains a two
day supply of Vitamin A, 40%+ of Vitamin
C, nearly 10% of iron needs.

 One of the only low-fat sources of Vitamin E -

more dietary fiber than oatmeal.

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NUTRIENT COMPOSITION
Kandungan Amaun/100g

Protein 0.95 - 2.4 gm

Lemak 0.12 - 1.0gm

Karbohidrat 25 - 32 gm
Gentian 0.9 - 1.6 gm
Kalsium 29 - 34 mg

Fosforas 49 - 51 mg

Kalium 200 - 373 mg

Besi 0.1 - 1.0 mg

Natrium 13 - 52 mg

Magnesium 24 - 26 mg

Beta-karotin Lebih 500 IU

Thiamin 0.09 - 0.1 mg

Riboflavin 0.03 - 0.06 mg

Niacin 0.6 - 0.9 mg

Asid askorbik 20 - 25 mg

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USES
Vegetable Leafy tops
- eaten boiled, - eaten as
baked fried,dried
vegetable
Another products
- Chips, Pie fillings,
canned, cooked,
Pasteries frozen
products Feed animals
- Biscuits, - Part of dry vines
Bread

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 Binomial name: Family:
Ipomoea batatas Convolvulaceae

Plant:
50 genera, dicotyledonous
1000
species SWEET
POTATOE
S
Starchy,
Origin: succulent,
Northwestern tuberous storage
South America root

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CLASSIFICATION
Sweet potato belongs to the morning glory family and systemic classification:

Family Convolvulaceae

Tribe Ipomoea

Genus Ipomoea

Sub-genus Quamoclit

Section batatas

Species Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.

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TYPES OF SWEET POTATO
•Divided 2 types :
1) Water type
2) Dry type
Water type Dry type

 It turns soft when boiled or fried.
 In Malaysia, red skinned
 High-yielding.
 Example: Chinese variety
It does not turned soft when fried or
boiled.
 Normally, it skin is white
Yield is lower compared to the wet
type.
Example :Gendut variety

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 VARIETIES OF SWEET
POTATO
 Gendut Variety (MSP 94)

 The variety was obtained from MARDI Semenanjung.

 Starch contain : 23%
 Carotena contain : 31 ug/100g
 Brix : 10.0 %

Characteristic :
 Dry type : It does not turned soft when fried or boiled.
 edible quality makes it suitable for fresh food preparation
(curried dishes).
 Recommended the farmers.
 Leaf : heart shaped, leaf shoot (light green ), leaf stalk (green).
 Stem : green.
 Tuber skin : yellowish blonde, smooth and thin
 Flesh : white

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 VARIETIES OF SWEET
POTATO
 Chinese Variety

 Popular among the local people.

 Water type :The flesh turns soft and a bit wet when boiled or fried.

Characteristic :

Leaf: Heart-shaped leaf light-green leaf shoot

with purple-laced leaf edge and green leaf stalk
with purple color at its division with the stem.
Stem : almost all purple in colour.
Skin : orange, wrinkled and thin
Flesh : orange.

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 VARIETIES OF SWEET
POTATO
 Vitato

 Suitable planting : BRIS soil, sand tailings and acid sulphate soil
 Yield : 40 ton/ha (exceed than Gendut, Kuala Bikam 2)
 Carotena contain : 2000 ug/100g

Characteristic :.
shoot (purple), leaf stalk (green), vein (purple)
 Stem : green.
 Tuber skin : orange, smooth, oval long
 Flesh : orange

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CULTIVAR OF SWEET
POTATO
Bukit Naga Skin : purple (ungu
tua) Flesh : Yellow
(kuning) Yield : 20 -
30 tan/ha.

Large White Skin : red ( merah

samar) Flesh : Yellow
pale
Yield : 12 tan/ha.
Skin : purple (ungu pekat)
Serdang Flesh : Whitish to yellow (putih
kekuningan) Yield : 15 -20 tan/ha.

Gendut (MSP94) Skin : brown to yellow (perang kekuningan)

Flesh : Whitish to yellow (kekuningan
pucat) Yield : 20 -30 tan/ha.
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VitAto
 Vitato means :
* VitA = Vitamin A (rich content in sweet potato)
* to = sweet potato

 Advantages VitAto :
- More nutritious
- Containing B-karotene
- Contain Vitamin C, dietary fibres
- Higher yield
- Adapted to a range of soils
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 SITE SELECTION
 Soil : Well drained sandy or sandy loam soils are best for sweet potato
 pH : 5.8 and 6.4.
 Rainfall : 750 - 1250 mm per annum & 500 mm during the growing season.
 Temperature : above 24 °C (75 °F) & requires abundant sunshine.
•The plant needs hot and dry weather for about 3 months in order to get high yield.

•It grows well in sufficient humidity but it doesn't stand if planted at the water logged
soil. It grows best on sandy loam soil with high organic matter and good water
absorption.

•It is not suitable if planted at the clay soil as the soil is not tilth for optimum tuber
growth. It is also suitable to be planted at a well drainaged matured peat soil.

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 LAND PREPARATION
Sweet potato is usually planted on ridges or mounds. Ridges are usually 75 - 90
cm wide (30 - 36 in) and 30 - 45 cm (12 - 18 in) high and mounds 40 cm (15 in) at
the base and 20- 30 cm (8 - 12 in) high.
On flat terrain, land is prepared mechanically and on sloping land, ridges are
made manually along the contours.
Ploughed and harrowed (well worked) beds provide the developing roots with
loose friable soil so that they can expand to their potential size and shape without
restriction. These methods of land preparation allow adequate drainage and make
harvesting easier.
 The advantages of planting on ridges and mounds are:
• Higher and better quality yield
• Prevention of soil erosion
• Production of larger storage roots
• Less possibility of deformed storage roots
• Easier harvesting
• More efficient pest management

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Preparation of Planting
Material
 Sweet potato can be propagated in two ways; by its tuber and its cuttings.

 Cuttings are cheaper and easier.

 To obtain planting materials of about the same age, propagation period

required is 50-60 days.

Then the stems are cut at 20-30 cm for field planting.

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 PLANTING
The cuttings are planted slanting, with about 20 cm of the cutting is under the soil
and 10 cm above the soil surface. Depth : 15 - 20 cm.

 Planting distance recommended is 1.0m (row) x 0.3 m (plant).

 Planting density : 33333 cut/ha

The creeping plants should be collected and placed onto the beds to avoid the roots
from growing from the nodes along the stems.

If this is allowed, small tubers will be produced at the main stem. This could be
carried out once a month depending on the growth.

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 FERTILIZING
Manuring
Liming at the rate of 1.0 mt/ha is necessary 3 weeks before planting. Manuring at the
rate of 600 kg of 15:15:15 per hectare is applied one weeks after planting. One month
after planting, another 600 kg of 15:15:15 is applied.
The fertilizer is applied around each plant. Additional fertilizer at a reasonable rate is
applied if the growth is not encouraging. An imbalanced manuring can cause the plant
to produce more leaves and less tubers.

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 Kadar dan Jenis Baja
JenisTanah (mt/ha) Masa Membaja

Tanah bris - Siri 10 - 15 bahan organik Bahan organik dicampur dengan tanah
Rudua 1.2 baja kompaun * 3 - 4 hari sebelum menanam

Tanah bris - Siri 25 - 30 bahan organik

Baging 1.2 baja kompaun *
Baja kompaun diberi pada 10, 32 dan
57 hari selepas menanam
Tanah bekas 25 - 30 bahan organik
lombong 1.2 baja kompaun *

5 - 10 bahan organik
Tanah mineral -
1.0 baja kompaun *

Tanah gambut 1.1 baja kompaun * -

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 WEEDING & WATER
MANAGEMENT
Weeding
 Weeds should be destroyed by using hoe or weedicide.
 Pre-emergent weedicide do not endanger the newly planted cuttings

Water management:
 Watering : especially at the first 2 months of planting irrigation
system manually or splatter.
 Drainage is needed for low-lying areas.
 Farm drains built to drain the excess water to the main drain.

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INSECT PESTS OF SWEET
POTATOES
 Crop loss to insects without intervention:
50%.
 Six major insect pests:
(a) sweet potato weevil,
(b) wireworms,
(c) white grubs,
(d) sweet potato flea beetle,
(e) white fringed beetle,
(f) cucumber beetle

 Cost of insecticides is about10% of production cost or

more.

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 Storage Root Feeder

Sweet potato weevil (Cylas formicarius)

• Order : Coleoptera
• Family : Curculionidae
• Can cause 90% yield loss
Damage : Adult sweetpotato weevils feed on the epidermis
of vines and leaves. Adults also feed on the external
surfaces of storage roots (tuber) – kerosakan ubi
• Low root damage can give off flavor/odor to the produce
Management:
Use pest-free planting materials , soak the cutting in pesticide solution for 30 minutes
before planting, Broadcast carbofuran pellets around crop base, Harvest the yam
tubers as soon as they are ready for harvest, Cover up tubers which are exposed,
Crop rotation, routine irrigation, intercropping , field sanitation, mulching. 42
 Storage Root Feeder

White grubs:
•Larvae of June beetles, overwinter
in soil
•Damage: grubs eat off large areas
of roots, wide feeding channels
•Serious pest if SP follow pasture
•Chemical: chlorpyrifos, bifenthrin
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 Stem borers and Feeders

Sweet potato stem borer (Omphisia anastomasalis)

•Order : Lepidoptera
•Family : Pyralidae
•Damage : The larva bores into the main stem shortly after hatching and
sometimes penetrates the neck of the storage root. Larval feeding
results
in enlargement and lignification of the stems at the base of the plant and
in the formation of hollow cavities filled with frass. Plants may wilt and
die.
Management: Treatment of planting material, crop rotation, hilling-up.
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 Foliage Feeders
Armyworm (Spodoptera litura)
• Order : Lepidoptera
• Family : Noctuidae
• Damage : Early instar larvae feed by scraping and
scarifying the leaf surface. From the third instars
on, they consume the parenchyma leaf tissue,
leaving only the veins
• Management:
- Spot applications of insecticide or Bacillus
thuringiensis can be made in the early larval
stage when larvae are still gregarious.
- The green muscardine fungus, Nomuraea rileyi,
is highly pathogenic to S. litura, and the virus
Borrelinavirus litura.

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Virus Transmitters
Aphids (Aphis gossypii)
* Order : Homoptera
* Family : Aphididae
*Damage :damage plants by sucking
sap from growing shoots. Symptoms
of aphid attack are wrinkling,
cupping, and downward curling of
young leaves. heavy
During
infestation, plant vigor is greatly
reduced.
*Management Predators such
: beetles, as
lacewings
(Chrysoperla
ladybird sp.), syrphids
naturally
and reduce aphid populations

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 Sweet potato insect pests

Wireworms (Conoderus sp.):

•Damage: Deep round holes
Larvae chew holes in storage tubers and storage roots
(e.g. potato and sweetpotato) and chew on roots and
stems of several other vegetables. Adults chew on stems
just below the ground.
Wireworms also chew on roots causing poor
establishment of transplanted seedlings

Control:
• Managing adult beetle difficult
• Chemical: broadcast insecticide, chlorpyrifos

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 Sweet potato insect pests

White fringed beetles:

• All beetles are females, emerge in late June
• Grubs: small head, dark mouthparts, feed on roots (July-Aug.)
• Damage: Shallow feeding holes on side but deep feeding at ends
• Management: plant early, rotate with a grass crop or avoid
planting
• Chemical: Imidan 70 W (phosmet) against adults 33
 Sweet potato insect pests

Flea beetles (Chaetonema, Systena sp.):

•Beetles eat foliage, migratory, eggs laid in soil
•Grubs live in soil, resemble small cucumber beetle
•Damage: feeding holes irregular shape, then tunnels
under skin
•Management: remove weeds (bindweed) from field
edges
•Chemical: chlorpyrifos spay, bifenthrin
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 Sweet potato insect pests

Spotted & Banded cucumber beetles:

•Beetles: yellow with spots or bands
•Eggs laid in soil
•Larvae feed on developing roots: Shallow
round holes in groups, channels under skin
•Management: no effective cultural
control tactic
•Chemical: bifenthrin, carbaryl for beetle
control
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Rat (Rattus argentiventer)
 Damage: Rats usually eat exposed food at
soil surface. Serious rate infestation can
cause serious loss. Bait laced with the poison
 Control : Walfarin may be used

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Diseases Caused
Virus
Sweetpotato Feathery Mottle Virus (SPFMV)
(Aphid-transmitted potyvirus)

* Symptoms: on the foliage of sweetpotato are

generally slight or absent. If present, appear as
faint, irregular chlorotic spots occasionally
bordered by purplish pigment.
- Symptoms on storage roots : causes external
necrotic lesions or internal corking on certain
varieties.

•Control :
-Use tolerant cultivar, virus-free transplants, and
isolate planting.
-sanitation

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 Bacterial Diseases

Bacterial Stem and Root Rot (Erwinia chrysanthemi):

Symptoms : Aerial symptoms are water-soaked brown to black lesions on
stems and petioles. One or two branches may wilt, and eventually the entire
plant collapses. Localized lesions on fibrous roots may also be present. On
fleshy roots, localized lesions with black margins can be observed on the
surface, but more frequently the rotting is internal.

Control : Cuttings for transplanting should be taken above the soil line. Using
less-susceptible cultivars and taking care to avoid wounding can reduce
disease incidence.

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 Bacterial Diseases
Bacterial Wilt (Pseudomonas solanacearum)

* Symptoms : Infected stands usually contain some wilted plants. The disease
starts at the base of the stem as yellowish water-soaked lesions that soon turn
brown. The vascular bundles of affected stems and sprouts are discolored. In
storage roots, vascular discoloration is also present, but mainly longitudinal brown
streaks appear as well as brown water-soaked lesions on the surface. Slightly
affected fleshy roots, when stored, can rot completely and develop a distinctive
odor.

* Control : The use of less-susceptible varieties and disease-free planting

material reduces disease incidence. When the bacterium is already present in
the soil, flooding and crop rotation with graminaceous hosts are recommended.

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 Fungal Diseases

Leaf and Stem Scab (Elsinoe batatas):

* Symptoms. Brown to tan raised corky lesions, with purple to brown centers,
appear along the stems. Coalescing tiny lesions cover the leaf veins, thus
making them shrink and causing the leaves to curl.

* Control : Good levels of varietal resistance are available. Pathogen-free

planting material of the most resistant varieties and good sanitation practices
should be used.

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 Fungal Diseases
Soft Rot (Rhizopus stolonifer, Mucor sp.)

Symptoms.
Soft rotting occurs after harvest. Storage
roots become soft, wet, and stringy, often starting at
one end. A strong alcohol-like odor is produced.
These fungi are commonly seen sporulating on the
surface of rotting storage roots

Control:
-Carefully handle sweet potatoes during harvest to
prevent unnecessary wounding.
-Properly cure roots immediately after harvest.
-Store roots at 55 to 60 degrees F.
-Avoid handling stored roots because handling can
create new wounds. Recuring is one possible
solution to this problem.
-Apply a recommended fungicide after harvest.
-Do not allow sweet potatoes to be exposed to
sunlight for extended periods (to prevent heat
damage) or to be chilled in the field.
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Fungal Diseases
 Cercospora leaf spot
 Agent: Cercospora timorensis
 Symptom:
The tiny spots are reddish yellow, round in form and L-
shaped to the leaf. Serious infection causes the leaf to
collapse; often occurring under humid weather
condition.
 Recommended control :
Serius infection - Maneb or Zineb.

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 Nematode Diseases
Root-Knot Nematode (Meloidogyne spp.):

 Symptoms :
*Affected plants become stunted, foliage turns yellow and
flagging, and flower production is abnormal.
*On fibrous roots, round to spindle-shaped swellings
(galls) are produced together with egg masses on the
surface.
*Large portions of the root system can become necrotic.

 Control :
*Resistance, crop rotation (such as with rice)
*selected nematode-free planting material

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 HARVESTING
 Sweet potatoes can be harvested 4-6 months after
planting.
 Gendut and Chinese varieities can produce about 20-
25 mtan per ha if planted at mineral soils with
recommended agronomic practice.
 Signs of maturity: Bottom leaves turn yellow and
gradually wither
 Storage: Sweet potatoes must be dry and kept open
shade.

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