Introduction to the Japanese Black Sweet Potato 'Purple Dream' Variety

The Japanese Black Sweet Potato is a new variety introduced into China from Japan in 1998 through the relevant authorities. This variety has a delicate mouthfeel, excellent eating quality and high nutritional value, and contains the anti-cancer substance selenium; it has been shown to have notable effects such as anti-cancer activity, blood pressure reduction and calcium supplementation, making it another new raw material for the development of health-care and medical devices.

The Japanese Black Sweet Potato has heart-shaped leaves with incised notches and purple-green leaf color; the stems and vines are purple-black; the tubers are spindle-shaped, with purple-black skin and bright purple-black flesh. The stem tips, leaves and stems can all be eaten as vegetables. This variety has extremely strong resistance to disease, drought and waterlogging. It sets tubers evenly, generally producing 4-5 tubers per plant, with a single tuber weight of 200-500 grams; the yield per mu is 5000 kg for spring sweet potatoes and 3000 kg for summer sweet potatoes.