Morphological Characterization and Plant Density of Brazilian Ornamental Sweet Potatoes

The production of flowers and ornamental plants has shown continuous growth and demanded constant innovations in the sector. The sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.) is a tuberous vegetable that has attracted consumers, growers and landscapers due to its ornamental characteristics of its leaves and vines. However, the introduction of sweet potatoes for ornamental purposes is recent in the Brazilian market. The objective of this study was to investigate the ornamental potential of five sweet potato genotypes (IAC104, IAC116, IAC401, IAC909 and IAC1024), through morphological characterization, in addition to evaluating the effect of plant density in pot (1, 2 and 3 plants in pot) on the development of the aerial part and storage roots. The genotypes IAC116, IAC401 and IAC909 showed characteristics of erect and compact plants, while IAC401 and IAC1024 were classified as semierect, with only IAC1024 showing a twining vine. Increasing the density of plants resulted in a significant increase in both the number and fresh matter of storage roots in pot, but there was no significant difference in the fresh matter of the aerial part. As a result of this study, the first five ornamental sweet potato cultivars in Brazil were registered with the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA), named 'IAC Claudia', 'IAC Katherine', 'IAC Mara', 'IAC Monica' and 'IAC Yoka', with registration numbers 51087, 51090, 51091, 51092 and 51093, respectively.