Preliminary study of the spatial distribution of sweet potato storage roots

Preliminary study of the spatial distribution of sweet potato storage roots

2009

E04407

Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) plants produce adventitious roots that may swell to form localised carbohydrate storage structures as the growing season advances. These sections of the root are known as storage roots and are the part commonly harvested for human consumption. A storage root is a morphologically defined segment of an adventitious root, characterised by its distinctive lateral growth, which represents a region of marked meristematic activity and carbohydrate deposition. The storage root is attached to the sweet potato plant at the proximal end by a variable length of relatively unthickened root, known as the root stalk. At the distal end of the storage root, the unthickened root continues to extend, performing typical root functions such as absorption of water and minerals, and plant anchorage. The length of the root stalk is generally considered cultivar-specific and is used as a formal morphological feature in cultivar descriptors. This study demonstrates that the root stalk length of a cultivar may be modified by manipulating the sweet potato propagule and its interaction with the environment. The region in which the storage function occurs can be moved down the length of an adventitious root, increasing the root stalk length at its proximal end. This may be useful in developing plug-based propagation systems that eliminate the coiling of storage roots initiated within the physical constraints of a plug tray.\n

v.39:111-122, AGRONOMY NEW ZEALAND

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