Sweetpotato: Nutritional Constituents and Genetic Composition

Abstract

Sweetpotato, Ipomoea batatas (2n = 6x = 90), is a polyploid, outcrossing species considered a staple food in many develo** countries due to its starch-rich storage roots. In addition to energy, roots or leaves can provide minerals (such as Fe and Zn), and vitamins (such as A and C). β-carotene- or anthocyanin-rich varieties and their respective orange and purple fleshed roots have attracted great attention given the increased nutraceutical properties they present. Originally from Latina America, several studies have been conducted to assess germplasm diversity around the world using both morphological and molecular descriptors. Similarly, there have been some attempts to describe genetic architecture of traits of interest such as dry matter content and resistance to sweetpotato virus disease and nematodes. However, only recently, major developments in molecular tools have allowed the genetic map** of major quantitative trait loci and genome-wide-based characterization of population structure. Releasing new varieties that show high yield under challenging environments combined with resistance to pests and diseases plus nutritious characteristics is a long-lasting process. Recent advances such as the availability of diploid, wild relative genomes, and their associated bioinformatics tools have facilitated functional studies. Likewise, the ability of detecting single nucleotide polymorphisms and measuring the allele dosage have facilitated genetic studies in sweetpotato and have paved the way to the implementation of genomics-assisted breeding.