Introduction and Characteristics of the Sweet Potato Variety Xiangshu No. 18

This variety was bred by the Hunan Provincial Crop Research Institute. It passed Hunan provincial approval in 2007 (variety approval number: XPD014-2007) and is suitable for cultivation in Hunan Province.

Characteristics: medium-vine type, young leaves light green, leaves green, veins green with a light purple tinge, leaves deeply compound-lobed, stems green, 9-10 branches per plant; tubers form early, uniformly and in a concentrated manner, four to five tubers per plant, tuber shape spindle-shaped, tuber skin red, tuber flesh yellow-white, high marketable rate; tubers sprout well, stems and leaves have strong regeneration capacity, tolerant of fertilizer and water.

Yield performance: in multi-site trials across the province, the average fresh tuber yield was 2338.6 kg per 667 sq m, with a starch content of 15%.

Cultivation points: in the Changsha area, sow tubers in early to mid-March to raise slips, and transplant summer sweet potatoes in mid to late May. The density is 5000 plants per 667 sq m. Apply sufficient basal fertilizer, mainly organic fertilizer. Apply appropriately more nitrogen fertilizer to promote stem and leaf growth; after harvesting from slip-raising plots, topdress and spray water in time; after transplanting the slips, promptly carry out intertillage, weeding, earthing up, and pest and disease control. Begin harvesting 30-40 days after transplanting; long vines whose leaves have been harvested should be pruned in time to ensure early and rapid branching. Key points of seed production technology: raise slips from tubers, cut slips and transplant them to the field to propagate seed tubers; seed tubers should be selected from tubers with no wounds, no pests or diseases, smooth skin, and intact appearance. Use summer-autumn sweet potatoes as seed tubers, and it is best to use autumn sweet potatoes for seed retention. Choose a plot with good fertility, convenient drainage and irrigation, and no sweet potato cultivation in the previous year and no sweet potato pests or diseases as the seed tuber plot.