Ipomoea batatas - breeding of Sweet Potato - Camote - New Zealand

[Richard Watson]

This seeding is the smallest but second to open a flower, it didnt like the cool early summer

Not sure if you have this clone Chris but its the most prolific and longest flowering clone, its been flowering for 6 months now and still going strong while some have now stopped.

edit-  photo from last summer

[Chris Morrison]

Well, maybe, that could be what I call 'G1'? That has been flowering 6 months, and still flowering and setting seed. There again, BB has been flowering just as long, only less inclined to set pods. I took 8 x G1 apical cuttings today, all had flower buds on them, and still seed pods developing near runner ends. Am harvesting about 6~7 mature pods per day. Yes I will send 'G1' plants to you in spring :-)  then, we may unravel this riddle!

[Richard Watson]

Just taken cuttings for winter

[Chris Morrison]

Just had a 'grade out' for G1 seeds harvested and dried in March. I will keep these separate, as suspect April harvest will contain some decay, due to recent rain? 100 x 1st grade , 23 x 2nd Grade. Also have about 11 BB, and 9 EFR from March harvest. Still maybe 50 x BB on vine (these are very slow to mature vs G1) , and 50 x G1  plus another 4 x EFR.  Now, how do I store these, til planting, please Mark? Sealed paper envelope? Ziplock plastic bag? Screw top plastic pills container? I have asked this before, and apologies in advance if I missed a reply. Cheers

[reed]

Those look great! I just let them lay around in open paper packs for a couple three weeks to be sure they are dry and then seal in little 6 mil plastic bags. I pack those in a jelly jar with a new lid and put up in the unheated spare room upstairs. You could of course keep in the ridge or freezer but I don't and haven't had any problems.

[Chris Morrison]

Thanks Mark. I noticed some of the recent seeds, when podded, showed some white mold, you can see some on the '2nds' in that pic. I wonder now, if I should get the seeds out immediately after harvest, and dry in sun a few days, thus disgarding the damp stem/pods? Then do the 3 week paper bag dry down?

[Richard Watson]

My end of season report -
Three clones produced tubers the rest long roots that appeared to be heading to Australia, I was not going to follow em.

One of the flowering tubers that grew right below the center stem.


This is the non flowering clone that grew into a large plant and grew tubers again below the main stem.



And Chris's EFR

[reed]

Chris, I would definitely give any molded ones extra drying, if I was to keep them but I don't keep them. I pitch them out when I see that and when time to put up in plastic I inspect them all real good and discard any that have it. The damp/cloudy weather causes it. 2018 was a bad year for that here, I lost hundreds of seeds that year but hope that those that didn't have it may have some resistance.

Richard, you got a white one! White ones I've had were not sweet but I learned to like them fried with onions. Texture was dry and crumbly, but otherwise just as good as potatoes, I thought. White is an example of how diverse they are cause none of the original parents had white.

[Richard Watson]

I find sunflower seed notorious at going moldy if kept in plastic bags, so I always leave my in paper, never freeze it and store the bag that has open air around it.

Mark - you dont make potatoes sound overly exciting, the Moiemoie spud I grow are wonderfully taste and remain firm once cooked.

[reed]

O no, I like potatoes a lot, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, fried potatoes and some just stirred around a little in hot butter.
Fried or baked with garlic the non-sweet, sweet potatoes really are just as good as a potato, but not exactly same flavor. It's the completely different texture that put me off at first.  Also good baked with garlic and rosemary, haven't tried them mashed yet.

My gripe with potatoes is that they have become so unreliable here in past several years, total failure or near so 2 of 3 years I reckon. The sweet potatoes sometimes don't make as many seeds but still make a harvest. The years they do make good seeds they make a lot. And a sweet potato seed grows good roots the first season, don't have keep little tubers till the next.

I've had a grand total of two potato berries in several attempts. don't mean to bad mouth potatoes at all, just that sweet potatoes are so much easier for me.

[Richard Watson]

Yer I suppose that's difference between your growing conditions to mine, here spuds do really well (pre arrival of psyllid) https://potatoesnz.co.nz/news-info/industry-news/tomato-potato-psyllid-myths/ That sure they will get established or not as it needs wintering over host plants which there aren't any of, but if it does I will invest in a insect net.
The Ipomoea batatas though looks promising for me this far south,I was very happy with the three clones that produced the good sized roots, if grown next growing season for a tuber crop only it would be well worth growing again but grown much closer together. So growing from those tubers and a few seeds from Chris and I'll be doubling the area from summer just gone.

[Chris Morrison]

I will be using a trellis system next season Richard. Harvesting is a bloody pain, scratching around on hands and knees daily, and the dense foliage of BB is a haven for mold - BB is a very late maturing pod also, so maybe more prone to disease (vs G1). Running the plants skyward on a support system may assist pollination, and airflow, so better quality and yield? Plus less voltaren needed!  Should also be able to better utilize garden area. I am thinking waratahs and steel reinforcing mesh, to perhaps 1.8m high? The only issue I think, is both G1 and BB are squat non-running types, so may not be suitable for such a system - perhaps better in 50litre tubs? Any thoughts guys?

[whwoz]

Chris, based on what I have done and seen this season probably not necessary to go to 1.8 m high.  I used 1.1 m wide gate infill mesh, simply because I had it available and found that it was easiest to poke runners through the mesh squares.  They don't naturally climb and need to be woven or tied to a frame.

I think it would be best to set up trellis and plant within 150 mm of base, of not directly underneath trellis and start tying as soon as runners are long enough to reach it.  Bushy growers are a problem that may be dealt with best by utilising a V shaped frame.

[Chris Morrison]

Thanks whwoz. Hmmm, I recall some type of wire support system, with a flare, perhaps for flower arranging? Something like that might work, just to keep the Bushy types off the soil, and allow air circ.

[whwoz]

Thinking about it, why not look at something like a tomato cage, narrow at the base,  wider at the top with a number of rings of wire to tie the runners to?   Could stake cage to the ground with stakes tied at the top if wind is an issue