How is the Thai sweet potato variety Taihong No. 3?

1. Variety origin: This variety is a new sweet potato variety introduced from Thailand by the Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

2. Characteristics: The leaves of this variety are heart-shaped, the leaf color is green, the veins are purple, the stem nodes are moderate in thickness, there are 8-10 branches, and the vine length is about 1.5 m; it does not need vine turning. This variety sets tubers early and in a concentrated manner, and it is easy to grow and manage. The tubers produced have a good appearance, and the skin and flesh separate easily. It contains 18%-20% starch and 7.3% sugar. This variety is drought-tolerant and waterlogging-tolerant, tolerant of low temperatures, and highly resistant to black spot disease.

3. Yield performance: According to measurements, this variety yielded more than 4,000 kg per mu when planted in summer in 2000, and 5,500 kg per mu when planted in spring. If grown with plastic film mulching, the yield can reach 7,500 kg per mu.

4. Cultivation points: Prepare the land finely, plow deeply to about 30 cm, and apply 3,000-5,000 kg of high-quality farmyard manure per mu. The amount of base fertilizer applied can be determined according to the required fresh tuber yield; generally, for every 1,000 kg of fresh tubers produced, 5 kg of nitrogen fertilizer, 10 kg of phosphate fertilizer, and 15 kg of potassium fertilizer are needed. For summer planting, this variety is best planted from the end of May to the end of June, with 3,500-3,700 hills per mu, a plant spacing of 40-50 cm, and a row spacing of 85-100 cm. Planting on large, high ridges is better. During the tuber bulking stage, spray monopotassium phosphate and sweet potato tuber bulking agent once every 10-15 days. If the sweet potato vines grow excessively, paclobutrazol can be sprayed for chemical control. This variety generally does not need watering; in cases of particularly severe drought, a small amount of water can be applied.