A team at Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) has developed three new high-yielding coloured sweet potato varieties with greater nutritional and medicinal value, named BAU Sweet Potato 7, 8 and 9.
The research was funded by the International Potato Center (CIP) and led by Professor A B M Arif Hasan Khan of the Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding.
Why the research was needed
Sweet potato is grown on about 24,000 hectares in Bangladesh, producing a little over 250,000 tonnes, an average of just over 10 tonnes per hectare, the professor said. Demand is about twice production, and the research aimed to raise output and meet nutritional needs.
How they were bred
Seed was brought from CIP's headquarters in Lima, Peru, and seedlings were produced through polycross breeding. After four and a half years of research, three coloured varieties were developed: purple, orange and pink.
Yield and health benefits
The three varieties yield three times more than ordinary sweet potatoes, can be grown all year and are harvested in just 90 to 100 days, with simple cultivation. Steps have been taken to spread them quickly through the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) and the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC).
Their glycaemic index is lower than rice, so diabetic patients can eat them, Professor Arif said. Being coloured, they are rich in anthocyanins, carotene, fibre and minerals, and he said regular consumption can help prevent cancer, diabetes, constipation and other illnesses.
Professor Arif earned his doctorate from Massey University, New Zealand, in 2011 and did postdoctoral research at Sunchon National University, South Korea, from 2015 to 2017. He now works on improved varieties of mustard, rice, wheat and sweet potato.
Source: Jagonews24 (reported by Asif Iqbal). First published in Bengali on The Agro News.
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