Combining Ability of Sweetpotato Germplasm for Yield, Dry Matter Content, and Anthocyanin Production

Abstract

<jats:p>Interest in the potential of sweetpotato (<jats:italic>Ipomoea batatas</jats:italic>) for the production of industrial products is increasing. As part of an effort to evaluate the potential of sweetpotatoes for starch and anthocyanin production in the southeastern United States, a 5 × 5 North Carolina mating design II (NCII mating design) was developed to estimate the relative importance of general and specific combining abilities for dry matter (DM) content, total monomeric anthocyanin (TMA) concentration, fresh yield, and total DM and anthocyanin yields. All five traits had significant general combining abilities (GCA). Yield and DM yield had significant specific combining abilities. Significant differences among parents were observed for all traits. Yield, DM content, DM yield, and TMA yield were significantly impacted by spatial gradients within the field, but TMA concentration was not. Many trait-pairs of interest had either genotypic and/or phenotypic correlations. Phenotypic and family mean correlations among yield, DM content, and DM yield; as well as among yield, TMA, and TMA yield suggested that improving one trait will not negatively impact other traits of importance.</jats:p>

Genetic analyses for bioactive potential in tetraploid potato (Solanum tuberosum L.)

“…The generation of so extreme hybrid genotypes (transgressive segregation) is probably due to the highly heterozygous, autotetraploid nature of cultivated potato. In spite of the lack of quantitative genetic studies in tetrasomic potato with regard to bioactive potential, similar segregation patterns were reported by Todd, Truong, Pecota, and Yencho () in a sweet potato population generated from a diallel mating scheme. As previously mentioned, the factor year was highly significant for all the studied traits.…”

Identification and quantification of phenolic compounds responsible for the antioxidant activity of sweet potatoes with different flesh colours using high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC)

“…HPTLC has revealed that there are five major anthocyanins, two cyanidin-based (blue bands) and three peonidin-based (red bands), but that different ratios exist. In the US, breeding lines have also been evaluated and positive correlations between yield, dry matter and total anthocyanin content were observed, indicating that improvement of major traits would be feasible with conventional breeding techniques (Todd et al, 2015). It appears that in Vanuatu, there is sufficient variation for TA improvement but that TCQAs not TAs are the major compounds contributing to the antioxidant activity of microwaved sweet potatoes.…”