Team Lead: Travis Parker, Troy Williams
Sweet potato (2021-2022)
Sweet potatoes are the sixth-leading organic commodity in California by value, ahead of organic almonds, salad greens, or eggs. California sweet potato production has more than doubled in the last 20 years, with enormous potential for continued growth. Despite this, no scientific literature exists on the agronomic and culinary value of diverse sweet potato varieties in the state, and no local breeding program for the crop exists.
The SCOPE sweet potato program sought to 1) determine the agronomic and culinary potential of diverse sweet potatoes, including varieties that are popular in East Asian cuisine, using a variety of technologies, and 2) begin a pre-breeding program to develop varieties suited to California’s organic farms.
The results from the sweet potato program are summarized in our 2023 article in Agriculture: Opportunities to Breed Diverse Sweetpotato Varieties for California Organic Production