SLIDE 1
Sweet Potatoes: Variety Selection
Chuck Bornt, Laura McDermott & Crystal Stewart, Cornell Cooperative Extension Capital District Vegetable & Small Fruit Program
SLIDE 2 Trial Particulars
- This was a multiple trial planting: Thanks to
- ur host Samascott Orchards. We looked at:
– 6 different varieties grown on both black and IRT mulch
- All plots were planted June 4, 2010 on raised
beds, 6.5’ on center
- All plots were Harvested on September 30,
2010, cured and graded November 11, 2010
SLIDE 3 Variety Trial
- 6 Varieties
- Beauregard
- Covington – improved Beauregard type
- Centennial
- Georgia Jet
- Carolina Ruby
- O’Henry – white skin, creamy yellow flesh
SLIDE 4 Jumbo Roots – 2lbs + Large Roots – 1 – 2 lbs Small Roots – 0.25 – 1.0 lbs
Culls ‐ less then 0.25 lbs or less then 1.5” in diameter
Grading Scale
SLIDE 5
Beauregard – dark orange nearly red skin with medium dark orange flesh – very attractive and quite uniform – excellent yield potential Highly recommend growing this variety!
SLIDE 6
Covington – dark orange nearly red skin with medium dark orange flesh – very attractive and quite uniform – excellent yield potential – improved Beauregard type. Highly recommend growing this variety!
SLIDE 7
Centennial – light orange colored skin and flesh – decent size, but not overly attractive – not very uniform shape ‐ tends to have some “veins”
SLIDE 8 Carolina Ruby – nearly purple in skin color with medium dark
- range flesh – very attractive
color, but very non‐uniform in shape and size – also tends to have some “veining” but not as bad as Centennial
SLIDE 9 Georgia Jet – old variety, not nearly as nice as Covington or Beauregard – too many miss‐shaped roots and cracking – very unattractive – also
quality issues at harvest
recommend
SLIDE 10
O’Henry – white skin with creamy yellow flesh – very attractive, large roots and good yield potential – roots are fairly uniform, nicely shaped
SLIDE 11 Variety Recommendations:
- Top 2 that I would recommend planting are:
Beauregard and Covington (which is an improved Beauregard
type)
- Next recommendations for orange fleshed
would be: Centennial and Carolina Ruby
- White flesh: O’Henry (white skin, creamy yellow flesh)
I would not recommend growing Georgia Jet – too erratic and unattractive
SLIDE 12
Thank You
Northeast SARE Program for supporting the Research and Education Project, “Improving the yield and quality of sweet potatoes grown in New York” Project number: LNE 10‐292 And Samascott Orchards for hosting these trials! Scott Farms for supplying the slips!
SLIDE 13
