High starch, beta carotene and anthocyanin rich sweet potato: ascent to future food and nutrition security in coastal and backward areas

2015

E12551

Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.), a short duration creeper seems to be most suitable to grow in fragile zones and check soil erosion in degrading wet lands as eco-friendly crop. This crop can cater food (194 MJ/ha/day) feed, industrial (16-20% starch) and nutritional (Vitamin C-23 mg/100 g and Vitamin E-4.6 mg/100 g) demands. Orange flesh rich in beta -carotene and purple flesh rich in anthocyanin can further fortify its nutritional value. Visibility of sweet potato as rescue crop in coastal Odisha during post super cyclone was enhanced as paddy and other vegetables failed to grow. These valued traits of sweet potato revalidated its importance across the globe as source for food-nutrition and processing. In India, at Central Tuber Crops Research Institute, sweet potato breeding has been undertaken to redesign it to meet the consumer needs. To satisfy the demands, the targeted objectives were-higher yield (more than 17 t/h), starch (more than 18%), beta -carotene (more than 14 mg/100 g) and anthocyanin (more than 1 g/100 g) with reduced crop growth cycle (75-90 days) and weevil resistance (infestation less than 10%). A stock of 265 sweet potato genotypes comprising of exotic, indigenous and their breeding lines were evaluated for such valued traits. Evaluation of germplasm lines resulted in selecting 16 lines. On the other hand breeding and evaluation resulted in developing 35 lines with targeted, valued traits. 75 days maturity was recorded for 1 orange and 2 white flesh, whereas 90 days maturity recorded for 15 white, 5 orange and 5 purple flesh sweet potatoes. Yield ranged from 18-25 t/ha, beta -carotene 14-16 mg/100 g and anthocyanin more than 1 g/100 g. The high starch, beta -carotene and anthocyanin rich sweet potato also found to perform better in hilly backward areas as well as coastal belts having salt stress (6-8 dSm-1) across Odisha. These results have immense agricultural implications not only for coastal, backward areas of Odisha but also for other coastal wet lands prone to frequent cyclone and flood owing to climatic adversities. The (high starch, anti-oxidants beta -carotene, anthocyanin) rich, short duration, weevil tolerant sweet potato is also the demand for food-nutrition and processing.

33(2):397-400, INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TROPICAL AGRICULTURE

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