Making Information Easily Available
Every sweet potato breeding program has its own collection of released varieties and dominant landraces. Selected varieties undergo trials in various agro-ecologies, proving successful in specific environments. Although local breeders know this information well, it needs to be standardized with well-defined descriptors across countries, and made easily available to breeders, seed producers and other users of sweet potato germplasm. This is where the sweet potato catalogues come into play.
Previously, catalogues were printed (2010 and 2014 for sweet potato), but this has become inefficient as faster access to disease-free materials with desired traits is required. In 2019, the first digital online catalogue for sweet potato was published, featuring 82 varieties. In 2022, the sweet potato program conducted a characterization trial in Kenya to expand the collection of varieties available online, but an update of the digital infrastructure of the catalogue was becoming more and more pressing, and in 2024 the decision was taken to rebuild the catalogue in WordPress.
Updated Look and Improved Searching Features
The new sweetpotato digital catalogue, with an updated look and improved searching features, now presents a collection of 118 elite germplasm varieties from across the globe (Africa – 106, Latin America – 7, North America – 3). This catalogue provides an up-to-date and comprehensive view of newly released breeding varieties, upcoming releases (advanced clones), and landraces. Many varieties are key in breeding programs aiming to enhance β-carotene levels, root dry matter, and resistance to sweet potato virus disease globally.
The online catalogue is designed for both web and mobile platforms, available at https://sweetpotato-catalogue.cipotato.org/
A Valuable Reference
The digital catalogue is organized by variety, with detailed information and images for each entry. Each variety includes morphological characteristics, root and major attributes, and consumer and processing qualities. This information is exportable as a single A4 page. Additional resources, such as links to Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (PGRFA) and BreedBase databases, are provided for each variety. The catalogue will serve as a valuable reference for anyone working with sweetpotato globally, offering relevant information to scientists, development practitioners, extension workers, and donors. The performance data from various environments will also help refine a variety of recommendations.