sweetpotato
‘Map’ of Sweetpotato Genome to Improve Breeding Efforts
NC State scientists recently published a scientific paper that mapped the genetic locations of economically important traits in sweetpotatoes such as higher yield and disease resistance. Their genetic map may lead to breeding better sweetpotatoes.
Big Data for Better Sweetpotatoes
An interdisciplinary team led by Cranos Williams is setting out on a three-year project to use artificial intelligence to make sweetpotatoes even more profitable. The team will image hundreds of thousands of sweetpotatoes to increase the percentage of sweetpotatoes grown that are USDA grade 1.
NC State Researchers Continue Improving Sweetpotatoes for Africa
Craig Yencho and his team recently received part of a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to continue their work improving sweetpotatoes in Sub-Saharan Africa. The genomic tools developed through the three-year, $15-million-dollar grant will also improve sweetpotato breeding for North Carolina farmers.
New use for N.C. sweet potatoes: Dried products for pet food, animal feed
North Carolina is the leading state when it comes to producing both sweet potatoes and tobacco, and a new N.C. State University research project is designed to build on both strengths to create new markets for farmers. The Sweet Potato Dehydration Project is exploring ways to use tobacco-curing barns to dry sweet potatoes for use in pet food and animal feed.
Sweetpotatoes
North Carolina is the nation’s top sweetpotato producer. The state’s growers produce 600 million pounds of sweetpotatoes annually, nearly half the sweetpotatoes produced in the U.S. In 2010, sweetpotatoes were worth more than $173 million to the state’s growers. Agricultural […]