ISHS Acta Horticulturae 583: I International Conference on Sweetpotato. Food and Health for the Future
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY IN SWEETPOTATO GENETICS: A MEANS OF PROGRESS |
| Author: | D.R. La Bonte |
| Abstract:
Tropical regions of the world depend on sweetpotato unlike any other crop. Sweetpotato is ubiquitous in regions plagued by drought and depleted soil, supplanting all other crops as the mainstay. Where soils are fertile, but population limits land holding, sweetpotato is still the foremost crop among small-scale farmers. Sweetpotato represents the most cherished commodity in these regions -security. Yet, landraces still predominate. Improved varieties offer higher yields, but often adapt poorly to the environmental pressures in situ landraces are accustomed too. Sweetpotato hides much of its potental behind a hexaploid genetic structure that limits our ability to breed improved varieties. Our challenge is two-fold: how best do we identify landraces that possess unique traits to use as breeding stock, and secondly, how should we proceed with genetic modification of sweetpotato? | |
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