Detailed Introduction to the Sweet Potato Variety Wanchuan No. 58

(1) Variety source: Bred by the Daxian Agricultural Science Institute of Sichuan Province and the Chongqing Three Gorges Agricultural Science Institute through crossbreeding, using 67-12 as the female parent and Ning 180 as the male parent.

(2) Characteristics: Early-maturing, medium-vine type. Terminal leaves green with brown edges, mature leaves green, heart-shaped with shallow single notches, veins light purple, vein bases purple; leaf size 11.4×11.3cm; vine color green, nodes purple; moderate fuzz on vine tips; vine length 100-150cm, thickness 0.5cm, 4-6 branches, semi-upright plant type; no natural flowering habit; tubers spindle-shaped, skin purplish-red, flesh yellow, eyes shallow; drying rate 23-26%, good eating quality when cooked, early tuber formation, 4-6 tubers per plant, large and medium tuber rate above 80%, drought-tolerant, poor-soil tolerant; disease resistance superior to the control, good storage ability.

(3) Yield performance: In the 1996-1997 provincial regional trial early-maturing group, two-year average: fresh tuber yield 1488.6 kg per mu, an increase of 12.3% over the control Nanshu 88; vine and leaf yield 1829.4 kg per mu, an increase of 0.4%; in the 1998 provincial production trial, fresh tuber average yield 1457.6 kg per mu, an increase of 16.3%; vine and leaf yield 2056.9 kg per mu, an increase of 11.4%.

(4) Cultivation key points: ① Early sowing and early planting: plastic film mulching for seedling raising from late February to early March, transplanting in mid-to-late May. ② Density: 4800-5200 plants per mu in sole cropping, 3500-4000 plants per mu in intercropping. ③ Mainly use organic fertilizer, apply heavy base fertilizer, increase phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, pay attention to pest and disease control.

(5) Suitable planting areas: Flatlands, hills, and mountain slope terraces within Sichuan Province and Chongqing, suitable for either sole cropping or intercropping.