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

[Chris Morrison]

Ahh ok, so what you sent me in Feb/Mar last year (1 x BB, 2 x Green), were after your die offs? I thought you lost one last winter?
Anyway, as all came from seed G1 could be anything - and you have naming rights :-)
Here are some pics, quite distinct, small of leaf size (as opposed to leaf number?), very heavy of flower stem, long stems vs BB, and perhaps double footprint of BB, but nothing like the jungles of Okinawan and EFR, and the standard native NZ Owairaka Red, all strong runners, with leave double or more the size of G1.
Hope that makes sense?

[Richard Watson]

sorry, I'm getting mixed up when I sent you them

[Chris Morrison]

Decided to put up a temp fence, to keep G1 and BB from marauding Okinawan and Native EFR. Mainly for ease of harvesting the Camote pods.

[Chris Morrison]

Peeled about 40 x G1 Camote today, big range of sizes from early sets. Later pods on plant look bigger,more uniform, incl doubles. Had 2 'soft' seeds here, perhaps taken from vine a whisker early? Thinking I may get around 200 seed this year, mainly the prolific G1, but perhaps 30 x  BB, and 10~15 x Native EFR. Still plenty of flowers being produced daily here.

[reed]

O' wow, I almost missed this post. Some of those seeds look a little puny but some of them look GREAT! I think your on your way. Careful, it's habit forming.

[Chris Morrison]

Indeed Mark - already planning my trellis growing systems for next year, this daily 'forage' in the undergrowth is 'fun', for now, but never on a larger scale.
The smaller seeds are from double pods, not sure if later pods (much larger) are getting X'd from Native EFR, which, of itself has larger seed pods. Might get a cyclone here next week, so will have to watch closely , or even harvest early :-(

[reed]

It can get tiresome crawling through the sweet potatoes every day, specially when the patches get bigger. I think they get easier to make seeds as generations go on. Another year or two and it's piss on it, just let em fall off and volunteer on their own.
If you get worried over weather and have pods pretty well on the way, you can cut whole bloom stems and finish them up in water inside but younger ones on the same stem won't make it.

[Chris Morrison]

I have noticed, the Camotes, pod to harvest, is about 3~4 weeks, however the Native EFR, are maybe 2 weeks more. Have you a rough guide from pollination (or at least detection of a pod), to 'dry down' Mark? The natives here seem to be bigger pods, more ovate, and hang on the vine quite differently to the Camotes(i.e. stems stay green for ages).

[reed]

Yea, I think 3 to 4 weeks is about it, never tracked it for sure. I have't  noticed a difference in maturity time between the green ones and the purple ones.

Interesting your native ones have different shape, I've seen different size pods and seeds but never a different shape. If you've never got seed before it's pretty good sign you got some brand new kinds, just wait till they start segregating.

I recommend giving them a couple generations before culling any with no food size roots, some of their children will have them. 

[Richard Watson]

Well, I will not be getting seed this year!. Plenty of flowers, plenty of bees but no seed set, too far south for this generation of clones I feel. But me mate Chris is the hero of the day, his work means the NZ breeding program will take a huge step forward next spring. I will take cuttings again form my clones and winter them over, then hopefully these will be added to with the local seed grown from Chris. I think the idea is we get as many clones growing as possible and share these around the small core group we have here.
All in all i  still remain positive and see the acclimatization to my South Island climate may take longer than first thought   

[Richard Watson]

O' wow, I almost missed this post. Some of those seeds look a little puny but some of them look GREAT! I think your on your way. Careful, it's habit forming.

Dont worry, he has the bug

[reed]

Well, I will not be getting seed this year!. Plenty of flowers, plenty of bees but no seed set

Did you not even get any that tried but aborted while very small? If not it may be a case of incompatibility rather than weather. Cause of how the bees the next closest flower it really matters that the vines of each plant mix up good with each other. If the plants are separated by even a little distance and are self incompatible there will be less seeds. 

I think an isolated plant that makes seeds is certainly self compatible. A plant that makes lots while others nearby just make a few is probably also self compatible. The fewer seeds on other plants are probably crosses.

[Richard Watson]

Watching the bees whizzing around they were going from plant to plant a lot so you would think there would be some seed, maybe it was Native EFR that helped Chris as it didn't flower for me?

[Chris Morrison]

I think G1 camote is the 'inducer' and likely self compatible, going by Marks theory.
EFR was the last to flower, and really will only get perhaps 10 seeds, from 4 plants vs G1 200 seeds from 1 plant, and BB 30 seeds from 1 plant while Okinawan is a doughnut from 3 plants.
All these are in an area of about 3m2 , and only now are they starting to 'inter mingle'.
I am going to make some G1 cuttings to send you Richard, as I have a hunch that your G1 died during last winter?
Next question is how best to store dried seed. Sealed plastic bag? Paper bag? Glass jar? Other?
Thanks in advance.

[Richard Watson]

Wait till spring to send the G1, save having it kick the bucket again over winter