Sweetpotato: An Orphan Crop No More?

Abstract

Sweetpotato, Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam., a globally important crop that has been recognized as an important source of nutrition and sustenance for many years, has been characterized as an orphan crop due to limited attention from global agricultural development agendas for many years. Prior to the 2000’s, investments in research, development, and promotion of sweetpotato were limited, despite its fundamental role in food security in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. However, sweetpotato has recently ascended in the ranks of global agricultural priorities, driven by its versatility, superior nutritional value, and adaptability to diverse climatic conditions. In this chapter, the global importance of sweetpotato is reviewed with an emphasis on how breeders, geneticists, molecular biologists, and phenomics and data management experts have worked together to advance our basic understanding of the genetics sweetpotato. This research has enabled the creation of robust molecular marker systems and fostered the development of improved quantitative genetic theory for complex polyploids like sweetpotato that have facilitated linkage mapping and reference genome developments, which are being utilized by geneticists and breeders alike for crop improvement. These advances, and others yet to come, demonstrate that this extremely versatile crop is emerging from its status of an orphan crop.