Photo: Collected
Researchers at Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) have developed a high-yielding "Bau Sweet Potato-5", which is more productive and profitable than the local variety. A group of researchers led by BAU Professor of the Department of Cultivation and Plant Breeding Dr. ABM Arif Hasan Khan Robin has developed a new high-yielding and disease-resistant variety of sweet potatoes named "Bau Sweet Potato-5".
"Bau Sweet Potato-5 is a high-yielding variety. It is three times more productive than ordinary potatoes, with each plant yielding one to one and a half kilograms of potatoes," Prof ABM Arif Hasan Khan told BSS recently.
Noting that the yield is obtained within 90 days of planting and this potato is suitable for cultivation throughout the year, he said, "The variety gives the highest yield from each plant of 'Bau Sweet Potato-5' at the age of more than 100 days. While ordinary potatoes yield 10.25 tonnes per hectare, the Bau Sweet Potato yields more than 30 tonnes."
Sweet potato, which is rich in nutrients, plays an important role as an alternative to rice in meeting the demand for sugar. According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, sweet potato is cultivated on about 24,500 hectares of land in the country. It is one of the best sources of nutrition due to its high production cost and lack of fair price in the market.
However, farmers are losing interest in cultivating sweet potatoes due to the high cost of production of local varieties and the lack of fair prices in the market. This season, seedlings of 'Bau sweet potato-5' were supplied to Mymensingh, Sherpur, Kishoreganj, Faridpur, Rajbari, Tangail, and Khulna. The potato farmers have benefited from cultivating potatoes and getting higher yields, Prof Hasan added.
While talking to farmer Hasan of Mymensingh Sadar, he said, "By cultivating this variety of potatoes, we have obtained an average yield of up to 30 kg per 10 square meters. While other local varieties yield 700-750 grams of potatoes per plant, we have obtained a yield of up to 1200-1500 grams of potatoes with this variety."
Another potato farmer said, "We used to cultivate potatoes on many lands earlier, but at one stage, we stopped cultivating them due to increased production costs and low prices in the market."
"Now, we have started cultivating this new variety of potatoes again at present. We hope that its yield will be higher at the same production cost and we will be able to benefit from it," he added.
Farmer Manu Mia of Phulpur said, "This is the first time in Phulpur that we have achieved success in cultivating a new variety of sweet potatoes called 'Bau Mishti Alu-5'. I got up to 6-7 potatoes weighing 200-300 grams each per plant."
Moon Modak, a postgraduate student in the research team on "sweet potato variety development", said potatoes in three colors-- cream, purple and orange-- have become popular.
"Orange potatoes can be eaten as a salad as an alternative to carrots. Purple potatoes taste great when roasted. After roasting, their glucose and sugar content increases while ordinary cream potatoes can be cooked as a vegetable or roasted," he added.
Principal Researcher Prof Hasan further said, "Bau Sweet Potato-5" yield is better during the Rabi season (October 16 to March 15). Sweet potatoes are capable of providing protein, zinc, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, vitamin 'E', vitamin 'K' and potassium."
The national average production of common sweet potatoes in the country is about 10 tonnes. Accordingly, the production of this potato is more than three times. According to the researchers, the best time to plant seedlings of this variety is the end of November while the best yield is obtained if these sweet potatoes are harvested at the end of March.
Source: Online/GFMM
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