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Post by ilex on Oct 8, 2015 16:25:21 GMT -5
Sweet potatoes are very easy to store if cured and kept fairly warm. They will keep until next summer without problems. I've had some forgotten around sprout after two seasons. They looked kind of sad and dry, but were alive.
In the ground it's similar, cold is the problem, specially wet cold. I have some as perennial ground cover for over 5 years in zone 9-10. Some varieties do better than others, most survive.
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Post by reed on Oct 9, 2015 8:29:13 GMT -5
About my plant that has tons of flowers but not setting seeds. Is it because it is self incomparable? If I had two plants (of the same variety) might I have gotten seeds? How about if they were of different varieties? Or is it maybe some sort of environmental factor that might prevent setting seeds? Are they insect pollinated?
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Oct 9, 2015 11:56:19 GMT -5
Sweet potatoes are self-incompatible. Two clones of the same variety are self-incompatible because they are genetically identical. So two different varieties flowering at the same time and relatively close together would be required to set seeds. Animal/Insect pollination is required to move pollen between plants. In my garden the closely related morning glory is attractive to honeybees and bumblebees sometimes, depending on what other flowers are blooming.
There could also be environmental issues preventing seed set.
A collaborator gifted me over 100 sweet potato seeds this fall. I am hyped about that!!!
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Post by notonari on Oct 11, 2015 15:58:10 GMT -5
I had a few different varieties planted together that were flowering at the same time this summer but none set seed, not even those I handpollinated. I suspect it was a bit too cold for them, most only started flowering at the end of August, I would need some that flowered early in summer here.. Actually saw hardly any insects interested in the flowers either, even though I generally have plenty of bumblebees in my garden. I have to read up on natural sweet potato pollinators.
Very exciting that you got some seeds Joseph, I'm eagerly looking for some as well. Hope you find some that do ok for you. Do you know which varieties they came from?
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Oct 11, 2015 16:47:32 GMT -5
There were more than 70 possible pollen donors.
Mothers included:
USDA Waimanab
Mohihi
Kiyateya
Rapotz
Hui 186
Purple Nihoa
Yoshida
These were from longer-season pareants. The farm is intending to create more seeds next year using shorter season parents.
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Post by reed on Oct 13, 2015 8:11:40 GMT -5
They must have developed a technique to cause them to make seeds? I thought I would try that next year by growing as many different ones as I can in together in the water. I'm just guessing that growing in water caused this one to bloom instead of making tubers. I thought at first I wouldn't be able to try it next year because I only have the one kind of tuber but I bet it would work with slips too, just stick them in some clean gravel and set them in the water. Maybe even starting from seeds would work.
I have lots of bees especially bumblebees but I haven't noticed them on these flowers but the flowers don't exactly stand out. They are in clusters close to the stems hidden under lots of leaves. I suppose the bees could fly under and find them but I haven't noticed them doing so. There are also a lot of flowers blooming nearby that are easier to get to.
I have some seeds from a purple ornamental one the woman had in a big flower pot last year. It must have been self compatible cause it was the only one. The little morning glory looking pods broke open easily and most seeds were lost before I noticed them. The tubers it made were 5 - 6 inches long, only about as big as a quarter and pretty tasteless. I'm wondering if I should include it in a landrace attempt. I'm leaning toward yes because of its compact growth and proven ability to make seeds.
If growing in water proves an effective method of getting seeds it needs to be just as a starting point. Ultimately, I think they need to grow in the garden and reliably make tasty tubers and seeds to be a good sustainable crop.
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Oct 13, 2015 9:47:55 GMT -5
They must have developed a technique to cause them to make seeds? They're growing them in their native ecosystem. My highest priority in any breeding project is the production of seeds. Everything else is secondary. Once seeds are being reliably produced then selection can start for secondary characteristics like tuber size or taste. Sometimes I've incorporated wild traits into a landrace variety that later have to be culled out, but it seems worth the effort. I've been watching some ornamental sweet potatoes in town. Alas, no flowers yet. If growing in water proves an effective method of getting seeds it needs to be just as a starting point. Ultimately, I think they need to grow in the garden and reliably make tasty tubers and seeds to be a good sustainable crop. If growing in water could produce hundreds of seeds, then that would give you the ability to trial hundreds of varieties. With that many varieties being trialed, something really clever might eventually show up. |
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Post by oxbowfarm on Oct 13, 2015 9:50:32 GMT -5
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Oct 13, 2015 10:06:58 GMT -5
Of interest to me from the article is that the seeds are 'hard' and scarification is recommended. And also... Early breeding programs in the us selected for parents with poor flowering or seed-set ability. The best way to overcome that is to select for plants that flower and set seeds prolifically. |
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Post by keen101 (Biolumo / Andrew B.) on Oct 13, 2015 11:42:57 GMT -5
I look forward to seeing this project in the coming years. Joseph I really like your selection for some species to have prolific seed set where normal varieties have little. You have made some excellent success with several projects that amazes me.
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Post by imgrimmer on Oct 13, 2015 13:13:55 GMT -5
it is just an idea. maybe sweetpotatoes are day length sensitive like other ipomoeas. When I seed Ipomoea purpurea direct into the ground it germinates late, when days are already long and starts to flower at the end of summer, when precultivated inside early in the year it flowers all the summer.
It just needs this stimulation by short day lenghts to start flowering.
When do sweet potatoes set flowers? Is it maybe similiar? If so, it could be an explanation why sweet poatoes flower in one year in others don`t.
Any experience?
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Post by philagardener on Oct 13, 2015 17:10:35 GMT -5
I had some flowers appearing on my O'Henry plants just before I had to dig them this weekend. No time left to get seed development (without a greenhouse) as the nights are getting a lot cooler.  |
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Post by philagardener on Oct 13, 2015 19:01:59 GMT -5
Here is this year's sweet potato crop, dug this weekend. The blues are Japanese/Stokes Purple, the whites are O'Henry (which look a lot like conventional potatoes) and the reds are Beauregard. Really thrilled with the purple ones (it is my first year growing them).  Cure for a week and then we'll taste test them! |
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Post by steev on Oct 14, 2015 1:18:20 GMT -5
Looks mighty fine!
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Post by notonari on Oct 15, 2015 15:58:06 GMT -5
That looks awesome indeed, I'm fairly jealous of those purple ones! I harvested mine two weeks ago, considering the weather I'm pretty happy, the T65 did really well, and two are three of the Ugandan ones seem worth trying again next year. Georgia Jet isn't doing very well for me though. I've read so many enthusiastic reports about it that it seems worth trying with some new planting material, anyone in Europe growing it succesfully, that would be willing to share some slips next year? I'll also gladly take spare sweet potato seeds   |
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