Improved processing suitability of sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas L.) infected with 10-O, a protective mild isolate of Sweet potato feathery mottle virus

Abstract

Sweet potato feathery mottle virus (SPFMV) can cause russet cracks and reduce yields of storage roots of Ipomoea batatas, which are used for food and production spirit production. When I. batatas was pretreated with a protective mild isolate (designated as 10-O) of SPFMV, obtained from I. batatas in Oita Prefecture, yields were not reduced and fewer russet cracks developed after subsequent inoculation with SPFMV-S, a severe strain of SPFMV. In addition, treatment with 10-O alone did not affect either the nutritional value of the storage roots or the processing suitability of sweetpotato. The nutritional components and the spirits produced by the healthy and the 10-O-infected I. batatas did not differ. Moreover, plants that were infected with 10-O grew longer roots, resulting in an improvement in the heat conduction and the processing efficiency. Thus, 10-O is a useful agent for controlling russet crack diseases and for improving the processing suitability of sweetpotato.