New Sweet Potato Varieties Offer Growers Options

A feature story from University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources reports on new varieties of sweet potatoes that are helping growers improve yields in local conditions and capture consumer interest. Among the most unusual are six varieties of purple-fleshed sweet potato, some experimental, which growers have planted on about 1,000 acres in the state. Proponents say the new purple varieties may be particularly suited to growing conditions in California, and could have strong market appeal, though consumers have to learn about the long and slow cooking process that suits them best. Scott Stoddard, a University of California Cooperative Extension farm advisor in Merced County, has been involved in developing and testing new varieties that perform well in California’s climate and under special conditions like organic growing requirements.