Five questions for Lubera® boss Markus Kobelt about Sugaroot® sweet potatoes
Are sweet potatoes at all suitable for our climate?
Yes, and that is the real surprise for a subtropical to tropical plant. But the sweet potato has shown this adaptability throughout its several thousand year history. We were surprised ourselves this year, in 2021, when sweet potatoes suffered far less from the lousy wet weather than ”normal” potatoes. In Central Europe, the sweet potato is still an orphan crop, but this will quickly change due to the versatility and adaptability of this plant.
Why is there a need for sweet potato breeding for the garden?
Because as cultivation grows larger, breeding objectives and selection criteria will diverge even more: commercial cultivation needs kilograms, storability, frying ability, starch content; in the home garden we need taste and ease of cultivation, perhaps also sometimes reduced shoot growth so that half the garden is not overgrown. Also tempting is of course the idea of combining ornamental value and usefulness in Ipomoea batatas; here there are already first available varieties on the market, but they are still insufficient on the yield side.
What distinguishes Sugaroot® sweet potatoes from existing varieties?
Quite simply: more sweetness, more flavour, and a finer, more melting, '”runny” texture (as opposed to a grainy or floury texture). This is the direction in which our Sugaroot® range will continue to develop, and we already see the next variety candidates in the breeding pipeline in orange and purple flesh colours.
What's next for sweet potato breeding at Lubera®?
We have clearly acquired a taste for it. Last season, when we looked for our breeder in Switzerland, and if he was not to be found, the standard answer was this: he is currently stroking sweet potatoes so that they will flower or accept pollination as well. Seriously though, we will expand our breeding efforts even further with sweet potatoes because we see huge potential for them in the garden.
How will the Sugaroot® sweet potatoes be distributed?
Starting in spring 2022, tissue culture propagated young plants will be available at Lubera Edibles. Our sister company Lubera.com will definitely include and push the range this year after trial cultivation, as strong young plants in 1.3 L pots, B2C.
