Stability and Performance of Sweet Potato Yield in Different Varieties

Greg Howard
24th May, 2024

Stability and Performance of Sweet Potato Yield in Different Varieties

Image Source: Natural Science News, 2024

Key Findings

  • The study evaluated 17 sweet potato varieties across five regions in Bangladesh to identify the highest yielding and most stable varieties
  • BARI Mistialu-12 had the highest average storage root yield at 45.35 t/ha, followed by BARI Mistialu-16 at 44.64 t/ha, while BARI Mistialu-1 had the lowest yield at 25.99 t/ha
  • BARI Mistialu-12 was identified as the most stable variety, making it ideal for widespread cultivation across different regions
Sweet potato cultivation is a critical agricultural activity in Bangladesh, where it serves as a staple food and a significant source of income for farmers. The Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) has been at the forefront of developing high-yielding sweet potato varieties to meet the growing demand. Recent research conducted by BARI evaluated the performance and stability of 17 sweet potato varieties across five regions in Bangladesh: Gazipur, Bogura, Jamalpur, Jashore, and Chattogram[1]. This study aimed to identify varieties with the highest storage root yield and stability, crucial for enhancing sweet potato production in diverse agro-ecological conditions. The study revealed that BARI Mistialu-12 exhibited the highest average storage root yield at 45.35 t/ha, followed closely by BARI Mistialu-16 at 44.64 t/ha. In contrast, BARI Mistialu-1 had the lowest mean yield of 25.99 t/ha. Among the locations, Bogura recorded the highest mean root yield at 37.05 t/ha, while Chattogram had the lowest at 31.27 t/ha. These findings underscore the significant variability in storage root yield due to genotype-location interactions (GEI), which were further analyzed using additive and multiplicative interaction effect models (AMMI) and a linear mixed model (LMM). The LMM results highlighted genetic variance, heritability, selection accuracy, and GEI correlation coefficients of 52.27%, 54%, 94%, and 30%, respectively. These metrics indicate the substantial influence of genetic factors and environmental conditions on sweet potato yield. The AMMI analysis showed that the first two principal components accounted for 74.60% of GEI, with 20.16% attributed to it. This detailed analysis helps understand how different varieties perform under varying environmental conditions, enabling better selection for breeding programs. The study also employed the Weighted Average of Absolute Scores (WAAS) to assess Interaction Principal Component Analyses (IPCAs), identifying BARI Mistialu-12 as the most stable genotype, followed by BARI Mistialu-16 and BARI Mistialu-8. These varieties not only demonstrated high yields but also stability across different locations, making them ideal candidates for widespread cultivation. Previous studies have laid the groundwork for understanding the performance of BARI-released sweet potato varieties. For instance, a study conducted in the same five regions of Bangladesh found that BARI Mistialu-12 exhibited remarkable attributes, including a high marketable storage root yield of 39.88 t/ha, and exceptional performance in various yield components such as vine length, average storage root weight, and dry weight of the root[2]. This earlier research also highlighted the positive correlation between several traits and yield, suggesting that enhancing these traits could contribute to an overall increase in sweet potato production. Another study focused on the multi-trait stability index (MTSI) to identify stable varieties based on multiple characteristics. It found that BARI Mistialu-15 was the most stable among the studied varieties, although mean vine length and storage root dry weight were exceptions[3]. The broad sense heritability and selection gain percentages in this study ranged from 0 to 0.97 and 0 to 42.8, respectively, indicating significant potential for genetic improvement. The recent study by BARI builds on these findings by providing a more comprehensive evaluation of 17 varieties across multiple locations, using advanced statistical models to assess stability and yield. The mega-environment analysis further refined the understanding of varietal performance, associating the highest root production of BARI Mistialu-11 and BARI Mistialu-2 with the Jamalpur location, while Gazipur, Bogura, and Jashore were linked with the superior performance of BARI Mistialu-12 and BARI Mistialu-16. These findings are crucial for future breeding programs and the rapidly growing sweet potato industry in Bangladesh. The identification of high-yielding and stable varieties across diverse agro-ecological conditions will help farmers select the best varieties for their specific regions, ultimately enhancing productivity and profitability. However, it is imperative to repeat the study to ensure reliable outcomes and further refine the selection of optimal sweet potato varieties for different environments.

VegetablesAgriculturePlant Science

References

Main Study

1) Stability and performance analysis of storage root yield in a dataset of sweet potato varieties (Ipomoea batatas L.).

Published 23rd May, 2024

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2024.110493

Related Studies

2) Yield performance and trait correlation of BARI released sweet potato varieties studied under several districts of Bangladesh.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e18203

3) Multi trait stability indexing and trait correlation from a dataset of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2023.109995


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