1United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Vegetable Laboratory, 2700 Savannah Highway, Charleston, SC, 29414, USA.
*Correspondence Author: E-mail: howard.harrison@ars.usda.gov
+United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Russell Research Center, Athens, GA, 30601, USA.
Resin glycosides are complex compounds composed primarily of fatty acids and sugars that contribute to the allelopathic potential and pest resistance of sweetpotato. Total periderm resin glycoside (PRG) contents of 10 sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas L.) clones grown in field trials were determined using high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). PRG contents of the clones ranged from 0.04 to 10.02% of periderm dry weight. Analysis of variance indicated that genotype accounted for most of the variation, however, when PRG contents from the three trials were combined and analyzed using a factorial design, environment and the genotype x environment interaction variances were also highly significant. Average PRG contents of progeny from a cross between a high PRG clone (Excel) and a low PRG clone (SC 1149–19) were 4.13 and 4.21% periderm dry weight for the two maternal parents, respectively. PRG contents of individual progeny clones ranged from 0.1 to more than 20% of periderm dry weight, and the distribution of contents among progeny was similar for the two maternal parents. These observations indicate that breeding sweetpotato genotypes with high PRG is possible and may be an effective way of enhancing allelopathic potential and pest resistance.
Allelopathy, disease resistance, insect resistance, Ipomoea batatas
