b"The Search for Canadian Sweet PotatoesOne Quebec company is looking to give Canadians more options for growing sweet potatoes.BY: ASHLEY ROBINSONEVERY WEEK RICKY ROBERGE would find himself importing 35 to 40 loads of sweet potatoes to Canada from the United States. He found himself wondering why there wasnt more sweet potatoes grown here? The high value return crop seemed like it would be a good fit for fresh potato and vegetable growers.On potatoes, we do rotation with grain corn mainly. So, the revenue is not as high, explains Roberge in a phone interview. We could very easily put sweet potatoes for rotation, and it would give really good ground matter when youre planting the potatoes next yearwith a much higher income also.Roberge is the president of Nordany Inc., a Quebec-based company which imports and exports potatoes and sweet potatoes. In 2018, the company launched a new endeavourbreeding sweet potato varieties suited to the Canadian climate. Roberge was contacted by Carlos Martin, who through a mutual friend, had heard Roberge was importing a lot of sweet potatoes into Canada. Martin, a research scientist, had previously worked for the International Potato Center (CIP) in Africa, Latin America and the Middle East, even running several research projects at the headquarters in Peru. Martin presented Roberge with a pitch to start a Canadian sweet potato breeding program, who took him up on it.Sweet potatoes are a tropical plant native to Central and South America. In North America, sweet potatoes are grown in states such as North Carolina and Louisiana. Most varieties grown need more than 140 days to mature and favour the warmer temperatures the southern U.S. states provide. For varieties to work in Canada, Martin knew they would need to be able to mature in under 100 days and grow in milder temperatures.There have been sweet potatoes bred for Canadian growingRicky Roberge, president of Nordany Inc., holds some sweet potatoes conditions. In recent years, Vineland Research and Innovationin a field.PHOTO: CARLOS MARTINCentre in Ontario released the sweet potato varieties Radiance and Luminance, both of which are commercially available to buy and plant.With global warming it looks like the summer is extending a As Martin started his work, he reached out to industry contactslittle bit, especially in parts of Canada and Ontario. So, now we're for sweet potato genetic lines with short growth cycles. In 2019 heharvesting everything at 100, 110 days maximum. But our target started testing sweet potato lines, planting 750 genetic lines in ais no more than 100 days, because you never know, you may have a non-irrigated field at Nicolet, Que. Varieties were evaluated basedfrost very early, Martin explains in a phone interview.on if they matured in less than 90 days, root shape, number ofOver the next few years, the sweet potato lines were narrowed roots produced, and flesh and skin colour. Of the 750 genetic linesdown to four. Martin says the varieties are all are similar with a nice planted, 65 were picked from the first-year evaluation. orange flesh colour. During the 2022 growing season, the varieties An old potato storage was repurposed for the varietal trials. It waswere planted at a commercial level on two farmsone in Quebec, refurnished with isolation walls, artificial light and heating systems,south of Montreal, and another in southern Ontario near Niagara benches, and humidifiers. During the winter it was used as a sweetFalls. Martin and his team wanted to test how the varieties would do potato storage and in the spring it was used to produce sweet potatoin different soil conditions. For the 2023 growing season, the three slips from the selected roots from the field tests. varieties were planted at the same farms again. 30SPUDSMART.COMFall 2023"