Covington Sweetpotato Uniform Root Shape and Disease Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current sweetpotato varieties, such as 'Beauregard', are sensitive to genotype by environmental interactions, produce irregularly shaped storage roots, and are susceptible to certain diseases and pests, affecting yield and quality.
Innovation Solution
The development of the 'Covington' sweetpotato variety, which produces shorter, more uniformly shaped storage roots, is less sensitive to environmental interactions, and exhibits improved resistance to diseases like sweetpotato feathery mottle virus and nematodes, maintaining stable characteristics through asexual reproduction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the dominant sweetpotato variety 'Beauregard' is cultivated, then high yield is achieved, but the storage roots are irregularly shaped and the variety is sensitive to genotype by environmental interactions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by selecting and propagating a sweetpotato variety ('Covington') with genetically determined parameters that produce shorter, more uniformly shaped storage roots. This variety was selected through controlled breeding to optimize root shape uniformity while maintaining productivity, thereby resolving the contradiction between yield and shape consistency.
2Productivity
If the dominant sweetpotato variety 'Beauregard' is cultivated, then high yield is achieved, but the variety is susceptible to diseases and pests
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements parameter changes by introducing a new variety ('Covington') with genetically altered parameters for disease and pest resistance. This variety demonstrates improved resistance to major sweetpotato pathogens while maintaining productive yield levels, thus resolving the contradiction between productivity and reliability.
3Stability of the object's composition
If sweetpotatoes are propagated via vegetative stem cuttings or sprouts from storage roots, then true-to-type reproduction is achieved, but the process is labor-intensive and requires multiple propagation cycles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by establishing a stable, true-to-type variety ('Covington') through controlled breeding and selection before large-scale propagation. The variety was pre-selected for its superior characteristics and genetic stability, allowing for efficient subsequent propagation through sprout production from storage roots, thereby reducing the time and labor required for future propagation cycles.
Data Source
AI summary
Ipomoea batatas ‘Covington’ is an orange-fleshed, smooth-skinned, rose-colored, table stock sweetpotato. ‘Covington’ produces yields equal to ‘Beauregard’, the dominant sweetpotato variety produced in the United States, but it is 5-10 days later in maturity. The storage roots of ‘Covington’ are generally shorter and more uniformly shaped and fewer “jumbos” are produced as compared with ‘Beauregard’, resulting in higher “pack-out” by sweetpotato packers. The dry matter content of ‘Covington’ storage roots is slightly higher than that of ‘Beauregard’. ‘Covington’ is also resistant to the russet crack strain of sweetpotato feathery mottle virus, moderately resistant to southern root knot nematode, and appears to be less sensitive genotype by environmental interactions (measured as an improved overall appearance score, and the percentage of culls and off-types present at harvest), all of which are considered to be major flaws in the variety ‘Beauregard’. The flavor of the baked storage roots of ‘Covington’ has been judged to be excellent by standardized and informal taste panels. ‘Covington’ typically scores better in this regard when compared with ‘Beauregard’.