PERFORMANCE OF EXPERIMENTAL ORANGE-FLESHED SWEET POTATO GENOTYPES IN THE WESTERN REGION OF SÃO PAULO

Abstract

The orange-fleshed sweet potato has interesting nutritional characteristics, as it has a high concentration of β-carotene, which is a precursor of vitamin A. Vitamin A deficiency is a public health problem and can be avoided by adequate intake of β-carotene-rich foods, like the orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP). However, few OFSP genotypes are available to growers. The objective of this study was to evaluate the agronomic performance of OFSP experimental genotypes under the edaphoclimatic conditions of Western São Paulo. The experiment was carried out in the municipality of Álvares Machado-SP in a sweet potato production area on a commercial scale. Planting was carried out in October 2021 using a randomized block design with four replications. Five experimental genotypes of OFSP were evaluated, namely: F-09, F-34, U2-05, U2-19 and C-14. The cultivar Beauregard was adopted as control. At 139 days after planting, the tuberous roots were harvested and the following were assessed: total tuberous root production in Kg ha-1; number of commercial tuberous roots in roots ha-1, production of commercial tuberous roots in Kg ha-1; average mass of commercial tuberous roots in g; dry mass percentage of commercial tuberous roots; length of roots in cm, diameter of roots in cm and soluble solids, in °Brix, appearance of roots using a scale of grades, and resistance to damage caused by insect pests. The commercial yield of the evaluated genotypes ranged from 38,27 t ha-1 (Beauregard) to 89,25 t ha-1 (F-34). The experimental genotypes present tuberous root quality similar to the commercial control 'Beauregard'. Genotypes F-34 and C-14 have flesh color similar to 'Beauregard', and genotype F-09 has dark orange flesh, a class above the control. All evaluated genotypes can potentially contribute to the increase in yield in Western São Paulo.