Sweet Potato: A Potential Industrial and

Staple Food Crop of Nigeria

s. c. O. Nwinyi
National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike, PMB 7006, Umuahia, Nigeria

This article reviews the impact of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas (L) Lam) on the world economy, its uses,
and efforts in Nigeria to popularize its cultivation and acceptability_The potential and average yields of 87
and 20-30 t/ha respectively (over a three-six month growing period) under improved management
practices, its ecological flexibility, its low input requirements, the wide range of recipes based on its flour,
and easy propagation by vine cuttings distinguish the sweet potato as a potentially important industrial
and staple food crop_ Problems relating to sweetness, dominant flavour, and the colour of the cooked
product are identified as ones requiring solution if its acceptability is to be enhanced.

The sweet potato (lmpomoea batatas (L) practices the potential yield is 87 t/ha [4]. towards making Nigeria not only self
Lam) is a member of the Convolvu- This yield in 3-5 months compares with sufficient in root and tuber crops produc-
laceae which has been grown in the those of yam, cocoyam, and cassava, tion, but also an exporting country.
subsistence agricultural system of Niger- which mature in 8-18 months. In Niger,
ia since the 17th century (1]. It is a Kwara, Kaduna, Kano, and other states Sweet potato in the
perennial, but is cultivated as an annual of Northern Nigeria, it is a major source world economy
with a growing period of three to six of carbohydrate [5].
months, depending on growth condi- Nigeria is the fifth cassava producer in Sweet potato is the sixth most important
tions and cultivars [2]. With the estab- the world, the first in yam and cocoyam food crop in the world, with annual
lishment of the Root and Tuber Im- (Taro), but relatively unknown in sweet production of about 12.4 x 107t from 1.5
provement Programme of the Interna- potato and Irish potato production x 1Q7ha: a mean yield of 8.3 t/ha [8].
tional Institute for Tropical Agriculture, (Table 1). Nigeria neither imports nor Although it is grown widely as a staple
Ibadan (UTA) in 1971 and the creation exports any of these crops, as it has wide food crop in many parts of the tropics
of the National Root Crops Research production deficit of about 1.6 and 12 and sub-tropics, it is more extensive-
Institute (NRCRI) in 1974, a significant million tonnes for yam and cassava re- ly produced in the temperate zone
effort was initiated to improve quality spectively [6, 7], the most extensively (Table 1), with China accounting for
and cultivation in Nigeria. Currently, it grown and preferred carbohydrate about 81 per cent of world output [9,10,
is annually grown on 200 000 - 300 000 sources. This indicates that current 11]. Sweet potato has a tremendous
ha, about 0.3 per cent of total area of levels of sweet potato production fall capacity for producing dry matter per
Nigeria [3], with a precious yield of 3-8 short of Nigeria's requirement. unit of land and time [12] and requires
t/ha in farmers' fields but currently 25-30 This paper aims at demonstrating the less production inputs compared with
t/ha. Under improved management enormous potential of the sweet potato yam, cassava, or other food crops; addi-

TABLE 1 RANKING OF WORLD'S LEADING ROOT CROP PRODUCERS (% of TOTAL)

Sweet
Cassava Potatoes Yams Taro Potatoes

Brazil (19.0) China (86.3) Nigeria (74.2) Nigeria (40.0) USSR (3Q.6)
Thailand (16.3) Indonesia (1.5) Ivory Coast (8.4) Ghana (31.1) Poland (12.5)
Zaire (10.2) Viet Nam (1.2) Ghana (4.0) Japan (11.1) USA (6.2)
Indonesia (9.9) India (1.1) Togo (3.7) PNG (4.9) China (5.9)
Nigeria (8.9) Japan (0.9) Benin (3.0) Ivory Coast (4.4) India (3.9)
India (4.3) Philippines (0.7) Ethiopia (1.3) Madagascar (2.0) Germany DR (3.8)
Tanzania (3.8) Burundi (0.6) Sudan (1.3) Philippines (1.9) Germany FR (3.1)
China (2.6) Rwanda (0.6) PNG (0.8) Egypt (1.2) France (2.6)
Mozambique (2.2) Korea Rep. (0.6) Japan (0.7) Togo (0.9) UK (2.6)
Viet Nam (2.1) Brazil (0.5) Jamaica (0.7) China (0.5) Netherlands (2.4)

Total: 79.3 94.0 98.1 98.0 73.6

Note: all data are for 1982 except for yams and taro which are for 1975.
Source: Chandra [9, 10)

Outlookon Agriculture,Volume16,No.4, 1987.

0030-7Z70/87 SO.OO + .50.
© 1987.Pergamon Journals Ltd.Printed InGreat Britain.

178
Figure 1 Sweet potato in the field. Figure 2 Sweet potato tubers.

tionally, it is less vulnerable to drought Korea - sweet potatoes are fed to lives- to solve problems of root and tuber crop
and heavy storms. The crop is grown tock or converted into low-grade starch production generally in Nigeria. Sweet
between latitudes 400N and 400S and for industry [11]. More ethanol has been potato is one of the root crops. The
between sea level and 2300 m altitude produced from sweet potato than from factors responsible for farmers' poor
[13]. It does well even on soils of low pH any starch or sugar crop, and it can be yields, and militating against large-scale
and fertility. Its productivity can be used for beer making. The by-product of production and general acceptance of
raised by intensification (increase in sweet potato distillation is used as anim- sweet potato became the concern of
yield/ha) or expansion (increase in area al food supplement. Sweet potato leaves NRCRI. These factors include:(a) dif-
under cultivation) of its culture because contain about 34.5 per cent crude pro- ficulty of storing fresh tubers at farm
it matures in 3-6 months and is well tein on dry weight basis. In parts of Asia level; (b) low acceptability among Nige-
adapted to a wide ecological range. With and Africa, the shoots are used as veget- rian consumers; (c) poor and irregular
its tolerance of low-moisture conditions able and as food for Tilapia in fish ponds yields; (d) susceptibility of the local
[14], it can be cropped three times a year [2]. Depending on cultivar, the tubers clones to weevil and virus attack; (e)
in Nigeria, depending on availability of yield about 23-29 per cent flour, which is strong consumer preference for tradi-
water. Its future is limited only by the incorporated in confectionery, baby tional staples such as yam, cassava,
desire and ability to exploit the available foods, and blended with other flours to cocoyarn, maize, rice, etc; and (f)
variability. make various food preparations [16]. necessity to maintain live materials
even during dry season for next season's
Uses of sweet potato Sweet potato production cropping.
problems in Nigeria Although the NRCRI came into exist-
Both sweet potato tubers and shoots are ence in 1974, preliminary work on sweet
edible [15] (figures 1, 2) and the crop is Although sweet potato is the staple food potato started only in 1976, as part of
highly nutritious. Its food energy; pro- crop of many countries (Table 3), its 'Other Root Crops Research Program-
tein value; total carbohydrate and fibre cultivation in Nigeria was not empha- me'. In April 1983, a separate Sweet
content; minerals (Ca, P, Fe, and K); sized, being a minor crop. Its enor- Potato Research Programme was estab-
thiamine, riboflavin, and niacin content mous raw material came to be appre- lished to investigate problems of sweet
are comparable with those of cassava, ciated with the recent failure of the potato production. The programme in-
yam and cocoyam. It is a superior source crude petroleum oil sector to sustain the herited a germplasm collection of about
of carotene (Table 2). In USA, the fresh Nigerian economy. With a potential and 202 types for characterization, hybri-
tubers are canned, frozen, and dehy- average yield of 87 and 20--30 t/ha re- disation, and selection. Lack of func-
drated for consumption as pie fillings spectively, the farmers' achieved yields tional criteria for characterization and
and purees [11]. The tubers can be of only 3-8 tlha calls for urgent and classification of the germplasm hindered
cooked or roasted and eaten directly concerted efforts for improvement. One further collections which might have led
after harvest. In very large producing of these efforts was the creation of the to unnecessary duplication. However,
countries - China, Taiwan, and South National Root Crops Research Institute collection of data on vegetative and

TABLE 2 NUTRITIVE VALUES OFTROPICAL ROOTCROPS (PER 100 9 EDIBLE PORTION)

Crops Food Moisture Protein Total CHO Calcium Phosphorus Iron Potassium Carotene Thiaminec Riboflavin Niacin
energy and fibre equivalent
(kj) ('Yo) (gl (g) (mg) (mg) (mg) (mg) (ug) (mg) (mg) (mg)

Cassava 565 65,5 1.0 32.4 26 32 0.9 394 0 0.05 0,04 0.6
sweet potato
White 452 12.8 1.0 25.1 21 50 0.9 210 35 0.14 0,05 0.7
Yellow 481 70.7 1.2 27.1 36 56 0.9 304 1680 0.12 0.05 0.6
Yams 452 71.8 2.0 25.1 22 39 1.0 294 0 0.10 0.04 0.07
Taro and tannia 393 75.4 2.2 21.0 34 62 1.2 448 tr. 0.12 0.04 1.0
Giant taro 255 84.0 0.6 14.8 30 50 1.0 0 0.05
Giant swamp taro 548 0.9 31.0 334 56 1.2 0 0.05 0.07 0.88
Elephant yam 339 78.5 2.0 18,4 38 38 2.4 416 0 0.06 0.02 1.70
Taro leaves 255 81.4 4.0 11.9 162 69 1.0 963 5535 0,13 0.34 1.5

source: Chandra [10).

179
 TABLE 3 WORLD CONSUMPTION OF ROOT CROPS (kg per capita)

Sweet
Cassava Potatoes Yams Taro Potatoes

Brazil (191) China (110) Nigeria (238) Nigeria (29) USSR (289)
Thailand (427) Indonesia (14) Ivory Coast (348) Ghana (142) Poland (882)
Zaire (440) Viet Nam (30) Ghan (81) Japan (4) USA (68)
Indonesia (84) India (2) Togo (334) PNG (81) China (15)
Nigeria (138) Japan (12) Benin (198) Ivory Coast (41) India (14)
India (8) Philippines (20) Ethiopia (10) Madagascar (11 ) Germany DR (586)
Tanzania (256) Burundi (212) Sudan (14) Philippines (2) Germany FR (129)
China (3) Rwanda (172) PNG (62) Egypt (1) France (124)
Mozambique (258) Korea Rep. (21) Japan (1) Togo (18) UK (116)
Viet Nam (47) Brazil (6) Jamaica (66) China (-) Netherlands (435)
World (28) (31) (5) (1) (56)

Note: All data for 1982. except for yams and taro which are for 1975.
(-) Indicates negligible.
Source: Chandra [10].

tuber characteristics - for example Time for planting and cover to give high yields. This is being
above-ground vegetative spread pat- vine management investigated.
tern; length of vines; colour of vines,
petiole, vein, and tuber skin; tuber The best time to plant sweet potato is Fertilization
shape, pollen compatibility and incom- when the rains become steady (late June
patibility groups - is in progress. to August each year in the southern Sweet potato responds well to fertiliza-
states and August to late September for tion. Apart from application of 45kg
High-yielding cultivars the northern states). With irrigation, PzOs/ha and/or farmyard manure re-
from IITA planting is possible. preferably on commended for northern states, there is
ridges. Optimum plant density is 33 000 no fertilizer recommendation for the
To meet the urgent demand by farmers standslha. Hand weedings at 3-4, 8-9, crop in Nigeria. Application of a
for improved cultivars, many high- and 12-13 weeks after planting controls 10:10:20 N.P.K. mixed fertilizer at the
yielding cultivars from lITA were evalu- weeds. Sweet potato cultivars respond rate of 700kglha has consistently and
ated, selected, and multiplied. Five cul- differently to varying management prac- significantly improved yields over a mix-
tivars: TIS 2498, TIS 8/727, TIS 2534, tices: for example. at 50 per cent pruning ture of 45kg Nlha, 15kg P/ha, and 70kg
TIS 146/3092, and a very good local cultivar TIS 2498 significantly (P = K/ha which showed promise in some
'Anorna' have been mutliplied and over 0.001) out-yielded no pruning, while in locations. Fertilizer requirement studies
156,000 4-node slips distributed to cultivar TIS 8/727 the yield was signi- have been planned for various sites in
Ministries of Agriculture of Rivers, ficantly (P = 0.01) depressed by pruning. Nigeria. Generally, broadcast place-
Cross River, Kwara, Plateau, Gongola It would appear that certain cultivars ment is superior to ring, sideband, and
States, and River Basin Development require reduction in their vegetative furrow application.
Authorities and private growers for
further evaluation and selection of pre-
ferred cultivars. The continued demands
for these cultivars indicates the success
of this initial campaign to change the
quality of cultivars at farmers' level.

Ecological adaptation of
cultivars

Preliminary ecological adaptation trials

in different agro-ecological zones was
hindered because yields of selected culti-
vars dropped markedly with continued
vegetative propagation. For example,
cultivars J.K. 70. TIB 1, and TIB 4,
which were the highest yielders at Umu-
dike in the 1970s, are now among the
poorest yielders. Cultivar TIS 2352 did
not flower at Umudike, Igbariam, and
Otobi while the flowering potentials of
TIS 2498. TIS 8/727. and Anoma in
those locations varied with location and
even within the same farm. These
observations appear to indicate that
adapted cultivars may have to be reg-
ularly replaced with newer cultivars to
ensure consistent high yields. Figure 3 Acraeacerata larva eating sweet potato leaf.

180
Sweet potato pests limited methods of preparation must Acknowledgment
have contributed to the low acceptability
A major pest of sweet potato (Cylas of the crop as food. The tubers are now The author wishes to express indebted-
punticolis) has effectively been control- peeled, sliced, dried, and milled into ness to the Director, National Root
led by monthly application of insecti- flour. Bleached (white) flour is generally Crops Research Institute, Umudike,
cides: Chlorpyrifos, Monocrotophos, preferred to the unbleached dark type. P.M.B. 7006, Urnuahia, and the Inter-
and Carbofuran at 1.00, 0.45, and 2.70kg The flour is used for various food prepa- national Institute for Tropical Agricul-
a.i.zha respectively. Cultivars like TIS rations; for example, in blends with ture, Ibadan, for their encouragement
1176, TIS 2534, TIS 2498, TIS 8/727, TIS cassava flour or starch to give very good and cooperation at various stages of
2421, TIS 2444, Dokobo, Dukukpuku, fufu. With maize and soya bean flours, development of the NRCRI Sweet Pota-
and Anoma are tolerant to Cylas spp. good infant foods have been produced. to Research Programme. Thanks are
attack. Another pest, Acraea acerata, A product SSP-Form II (with 16 per cent also due to the entire staff of Sweet
protein content) was developed and Potato Research Programme for their
found to store perfectly well at 6.5 per continued interest and devotion to duty.
cent moisture content. This product is
used as moi-moi, or porridge, for adults
and also a food for infants. Sweet potato
flour blends well with wheat flour for References
making bread and confectioneries. The
flour of cultivar 'Dokobo' is particularly (1] Leon, J. 4th Symp. ISTRC, Cali, M.
good for biscuit making. Work on the Graham p. 20, 1977.
quality and type of flour obtainable from [2] MacDonald, A. S. Field Crops Ab-
various cultivars continues. stracts, 16 (4), 219, 1963.
[3) Yayock, J. Y. (ed) 'FertilizersandTheir
Figure4 Full grown adult Acraea Future prospects Application to Crops in Nigeria'. Ferti-
acerata. often called sweet potato lizer Use Series I, p. 99, 1980.
butterfly. [4] NationalRoot Crops Research Institute
Sweet potato cultivation can provide
(NRCRI), Umudike Annual Report
was noticed in 1985 (figure 3,4) but its both employment and food for Nigeria. Vol. 1 p. 149, 1983.
bionomics and control measures are still Fresh tuber yields of 25-40 t/ha can (5) Idusogie, E. O. and Olayide, S. O. 3rd
being investigated. provide gross annual returns of over 1.25 Int. Symp. ISTRC, Ibadan Nigeria,
billion Naira. Sale of processed tubers 1973.
will bring even more revenue. The major [6) National Root Crops Research Institute
Harvesting time and problems are its sweetness (from its (NRCRI), UmudikeBriefson Yamp. 2,
storage content of maltose (17] and sucrose); 1985.
strong taste and aroma; and the colour of [7) National Root Crops ResearchInstitute
Growth physiology is under study to the cooked tubers. All these qualities (NRCRI), Umudike Briefs on Cassava
identify maturity indices of all cultivars p. I, 1985.
limit acceptability. Deep orange and [8) FAO ProductionYear Book: FAO Pub-
in the germplasm, because farmers lose violet (or purple) flesh colours are dis-
much of their yield due to late harvest- lications, 1974.
liked, white or yellow fleshed cultivars (9) Chandra, S. Proc. 6th Symp, ISTRC,
ing. Late harvesting leads to physiologic- being generally preferred. Staple crops Lima, Peru 41, 1984.
al cracks in the tubers (maturity cracks) like rice, cassava, potato, yam, and (10) Chandra, S. Proc. 7th Symp. ISTRC
which combined with weevil attack to cocoyam have little taste and require Guadeloupe, 1985.
reduce the market value of the tubers. flavourings to increase palatability. (11) Horton, D. J. Lynam, and H. Knips-
However, maturity/harvesting time is However, many Nigerians consume cheer. Proc. 6th Symp, ISTRe, Lima,
indicated by shoot senescence and the Peru p. 9, 1984.
sweet potato, although irregularly,
production of white exudate when tu- (12) Hahn, S. K. and Y. Hozyo: Paper pre-
essentially because of the sweetness and sented at Symp. on Potential Productiv-
bers are pricked. Fresh tubers of culti- and flavour.
vars TIS 146/3092, TIS 2321, TIS 2352, ity of Field crop under Different En-
and TIS 2534 have stored well in moist vironmentsIRRI, Philippines, 1980.
Future studies [13] Hahn, S. K. In: 'Ecophysiology of Tro-
sawdust for four months without loss of pical Crops', eds. R. T. Alvin and T. T.
food quality. Storage sprouting is a prob- Kozlowski p, 237, 1977.
High yields in 3-4 months, wide ecolo-
lem, and sprouts should be manually (14] Plucknett, D. L. Proc. 6th Symp.
gical adaptation, low input require-
removed. ISTRC, Lima, Peru p. 3, 1984.
ments, and easy propagation, make
[15] Kay, D. E. 'Root Crops: Crop and
sweet potato a potential staple food crop ProductionDigest 2': 245 pp. 1973.
Processing and utilization for Nigeria. Its distinct flavour limits (16) National Root Crops Research Institute
acceptability but the development of less (NRCRI), Umudike Annual Report (in
Sweet potato tubers are generally eaten sweet types and new modes of utilisation press).
raw, roasted, fried, boiled, or pounded should increase both cultivation and [17) Sistrunk, W. A.. Miller,J. C. and Jones,
and swallowed with a sauce, and such consumption. L. G. Food Tech, 8. 223, 1954.

181