91制片厂

In the first study of the performance of modern sweet potato cultivars in northern regions, 91制片厂 researchers have found that sweet potatoes can be a viable crop for growers in areas with short growing seasons such as New England.

鈥淭he results of this study show that sweet potato is a viable crop for New Hampshire as well as other northern states of United States. We demonstrated the potential to produce high yields of high-quality sweet potatoes, despite our relatively short growing season,鈥� said Becky Sideman, a researcher with the听听and听听professor of sustainable horticulture production.

From 2007-2012, sweet potato acreage throughout the New England states increased more than eight-fold from 4 to 33 acres, all for fresh-market sales with most individual producers having small plantings of less than half an acre, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Sideman evaluated the performance of several sweet potato cultivars grown on raised beds covered with biodegradable black mulch at the 91制片厂 Woodman Horticultural Research Farm, a facility of the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station. Six cultivars were evaluated over four years, and an additional four cultivars were evaluated for two or three years.

The different cultivars showed significant differences in marketable yield, percent cull, and percent small roots. The cultivars Covington and B94-14 Beauregard consistently produced high yields whereas Vardaman consistently produced the lowest yields. Georgia Jet exhibited variable performance with marketable yields among the highest in one year and the lowest in another, largely because of a high percentage of cull roots due to severe cracking.

Despite a relatively short growing season, the highest-yielding cultivars in each year produced marketable yields ranging from 503 to 887 50-pound bushels per acre. This compares favorably with national average yields, which range from 310 to 550 bushels per acre depending on the state, with an overall average of 438 bushels per acre, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

鈥淒irect-market sales are the primary outlet for growers in our region, and locally grown sweet potato can enhance growers鈥� fall and winter offerings. We recommend Beauregard and Covington as orange-fleshed cultivars that produce consistently high yields,鈥� Sideman said.

Lori Schreier of听听in Westmoreland said her farm has a loyal following of sweet potato customers at farmers markets. 鈥淧eople are always asking when they will be ready for sale. They are being recognized as a superfood, and people around here want to eat them more,鈥� she said.

Fertile Fields Farm has been growing sweet potatoes for seven years and has sought out Sideman鈥檚 advice throughout the years on issues such as the condition of plants, fertilizer choices, use of plastic or row cover, and best planting practices.

鈥淪weet potato research is very helpful and valuable to us as it helps us to make good decisions which grow better sweets and find the best ones to grow. The more choices we can grow locally, the better. People want local food from farmers they know. The 100-day sweets seems to do well in our climate, except for those cool wet summers, which I think we are having now.听But wait, that could change any minute,鈥� she said.

Bruce Wooster, owner of听听in Winchester, also has been working with Sideman to grow sweet potatoes. 鈥淏ecky's research has been great for us, and already influenced what we do and know about variety selection, plant spacing, and tuber storage. Demand has been strong for us every year we've grown them -- since 2007 at this farm,鈥� Wooster said.

The research was funded by the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station, New Hampshire Vegetable and Berry Growers鈥� Association, and the New England Vegetable and Berry Growers鈥� Association. The research findings are reported in the June 2015 issue of听HortTechnology听in the article 鈥淧erformance of Sweetpotato Cultivars Grown Using Biodegradable Black Plastic Mulch in New Hampshire.鈥�

This material is based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award number 228522.

Founded in 1887, the听听at the听is 91制片厂鈥檚 original research center and an elemental component of New Hampshire's land-grant university heritage and mission. We steward federal and state funding, including support from the听, to provide unbiased and objective research concerning diverse aspects of sustainable agriculture and foods, aquaculture, forest management, and related wildlife, natural resources and rural community topics. We maintain the听听and听听agronomy and horticultural farms, the听, the听, and the听. Additional properties also provide forage, forests and woodlands in direct support to research, teaching, and outreach.