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ABSTRACT
Sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas L. (Lam)) is a nutritious food security crop for most tropical households, but its utilisation is very low in Ghana compared to the other root and tuber crops due to lack of end-user-preferred cultivars. Knowledge on the genetic control of important traits such as dry matter, starch and sugar content of sweetpotato storage roots in a breeding population is critical for making breeding progress in developing sweetpotato varieties preferred by farmers and consumers. This study used diallel mating design to elucidate general combining ability and specific combining ability, to determine the gene action controlling storage root dry matter, starch and sugar content in sweetpotato and the heterotic potential of the traits to facilitate the crop’s improvement for increased utilisation. A general model for estimating genetic effects, GEAN II, was used to analyse the data. Genetic variability was seen for dry matter, starch and sugar content of sweetpotato and much of this genetic variation was additive in nature. The study also revealed significant heterosis in sweetpotato which offers opportunity for breeding non-sweet, high dry matter sweetpotato varieties that are preferred by farmers and consumers in Ghana.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Notes on contributors
Ernest Baafi is a Research Scientist at CSIR-Crops Research Institute, Fumesua, Kumasi, Ghana. He has a number of research publications in Plant Breeding and was a Ph.D. in Plant Breeding candidate at the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI), University of Ghana from 2010 to 2014.
Vernon E. Gracen, an Emeritus Professor of Plant Breeding at Cornell University, was the former Associate Director in charge of supervising the curriculum for first year courses and second year advanced modules offered at the West Africa Center for Crop Improvement (WACCI) University of Ghana. He is an expert in international agriculture and research management. He currently teaches Genetic Improvement of Crop Plants, a course which covers the basics of traditional breeding methodologies and application of new technologies such as molecular technologies to improve major crop species at WACCI.
Joe Manu-Aduening is a Principal Research Scientist at CSIR-Crops Research Institute, Fumesua, Kumasi, Ghana. He has a number of research publications in Plant Breeding and has been a co-supervisor of post-graduate thesis at the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement and other Universities in Ghana. He is currently the Deputy Director at the CSIR-Crops Research Institute.
Essie T. Blay is an Associate Professor in Genetics and Plant Breeding and has been a teaching staff of the Crop Science Department of University of Ghana for over 30 years. She is also an Associate Faculty member at the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI), University of Ghana. She supervises student research and dissertations at both the undergraduate and post-graduate levels. She has been actively involved in the study of diversity in the land races of indigenous vegetables and tuber crops for identification of suitable germplasm for crop improvement purposes. Essie T. Blay is also conversant with modern biotechnology including the use of molecular markers for study of crop diversity and for marker-assisted selection tissue culture and crop transformation.
Kwadwo Ofori is a Professor in Plant Breeding and Genetics. He is a teaching staff of the Crop Science Department of University of Ghana and an Associate Faculty member at the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI), University of Ghana. He is the Dean of the Graduate School, University of Ghana. His research objectives over the years have been in the areas of morphological characterization, quantitative variability and expected genetic gain from selection among variable crops as well as exploitation of variability through selection for production and hybridization aimed at improving various crops.
Edward E. Carey is the West Africa sub-regional manager for the International Potato Centre (CIP). He is a sweetpotato breeder and the sub-regional Principal Investigator for the Sweetpotato Action for Security and Health in Africa (SASHA) Project. He has a number of research publications on sweetpotato and has been a co-supervisor of post-graduate thesis at the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement and other Universities in Ghana.