Deciphering the Origins of Commercial Sweetpotato Genotypes Using International Genebank Data

Mello, A.F.S.; Robles, R.; Rossel, G.; da Silva, G.O.; Montes, S.M.N.M.; Nunes, M.U.C.; Pereira, J.L.; Nakasu, E.Y.T.; Vollmer, R.; Ellis, D.; Valencia-Límaco, V.; Azevedo, V.C.R.

Deciphering the Origins of Commercial Sweetpotato Genotypes Using International Genebank Data

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Editor

MDPI

Descripción

In Brazil, many sweetpotato varieties are grown under local names, making it hard to know exactly what type they are. Since sweetpotatoes are easy to grow from cuttings, different cultivars often become mixed up. This causes problems with selling them legally and tracking their origin. To help fix this, researchers studied 37 sweetpotato samples from four Brazilian states. They used DNA tools (called SSR markers) and looked at physical traits to compare them with sweetpotato varieties kept at the International Potato Center (CIP). The results showed that a popular variety known as “Canadense” in Brazil matched with less than a 0.05 Jaccard dissimilarity with the cultivar ‘Blesbok’. This finding can help growers and sellers officially register and market their sweetpotato crops. Another group of sweetpotatoes, called “white skin sweetpotato” from Sergipe, did not match any known accessions in the CIP collection. Overall, the study helps identify key sweetpotato types in Brazil, which will support their official registration with MAPA (the Ministry of Agriculture) and improve how sweetpotatoes are grown, sold, and used in breeding programs.