Sweet potato

:For the musical instrument, see ocarina.

Cultivation

The plant does not tolerate frost. It grows best at an average temperature of 24°C. Depending on the cultivar and conditions, tuberous roots mature in 2–9 months. With care, early-maturing cultivars can be grown as an annual summer crop in temperate areas, such as the northern USA. Sweet potatoes rarely flower when the daylight is longer than 11 hours, as is normal outside of the tropics. They are mostly propagated by stem or root cuttings or by adventitious roots called "slips" that grow out from the tuberous roots during storage. True seeds are used for breeding only.

Related Topics:
Frost - Temperature - Annual - Temperate - Flower - Tropics

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Under optimal conditions of 85–90% relative humidity at 13–16°C (55–61°F), sweet potatoes can keep for six months. Colder temperatures injure the roots.

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