Seed setting of sweet potato hand pollinated under grenhouse conditions

Seed setting of five sweet potato genotypes: SRT 72-Jacareí; SRT 248; SRT 252-Rama Grossa; IAC 66-118-Monalisa and IAC 3-4-Irani was studied under greenhouse conditions. Flowers from vine cuttings growing in water were hand pollinated. All five lines functioned about equally well as pollen parents but there were significant differences in their ability to function as seed parents. Cultivars SRT 248 and SRT 72 when used as female showed a low ability to seed production both when selfed and crossed. Such ability appeared to be a varietal characteristic which affected seed set. Differences were found between the percentage of seed set of open and cross-pollinated flowers. Self incompatibility was observed for four cultivars. The highest degree of self compatibility was showed by the cultivars SRT 252. There was an observed decline in seed set during the month of June, with the highest seed set during April.

sweet potato; Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.; breeding lines; seed setting; compatibility; pollination