Sweetpotato

Climatic Requirements

Sweetpotatoes can only be grown where there is a long frost-free period with warm temperatures in the growing season. Most cultivars require a minimum frost-free period of 120 to 150 days, with a minimum average daily temperature of 77 degrees F, although some of the new introductions (see above) can be harvested in as little as 90 days. Sweetpotatoes also require almost an inch of water per week uniformly distributed throughout the growing season for highest yields. Conditions 6 to 7 weeks after planting are particularly critical to development or 'set' of storage roots. If soil oxygen is low, either because the soil is flooded or because it is so dry a crust has 'sealed' the soil, the storage roots do not set well, and yields are reduced.

Location of Production

On the basis of harvested acreage, the main sweetpotato producing states in 1992 were North Carolina, Louisiana, California and Texas. Of the harvested sweetpotato acreage in the United States in 1992, 86 percent is in the Southern Region. Top states were North Carolina, 38,682 acres; Louisiana, 10,548; Texas, 4,863; and Alabama, 4,706.