A Group of Students of IPB Assist Sweet Potato Farmers to Identify Virus Diseases
Do you know sweet potato? Sweet potatoes, its common name Ipomoea batatas (L.), are the root of a vine in the morning glory family and native to the New World tropics. Sweet potatoes are nutritious, high in fiber, very filling and have a delicious sweet taste. It is rich in an antioxidant called beta-carotene, which is very effective at raising blood levels of vitamin A, particularly in children. This is one of the food crops which is very popular and have been consumed since ancient times. Kripik ubi (chips), bolu ubi, bola-bola ubi jalar made from sweet potato, which Indonesian calls 'ubi jalar' variety of traditional foods we usually consume. It is most versatile for snack food, but in Papua, it is used as staple food or as a rice substitute.
In addition to rice, corn, wheat, soybeans and other food crops, sweet potato is the main staple food in Indonesia. Sweet potatoes have a good nutritional content, and high in carbohydrate. Diabetics can include a variety of carbohydrates that are digested more slowly, such as the ones found in non-starchy vegetables, fresh fruits, nuts and sweet potatoes to stay healthier with their condition. They won’t contribute to hyperglycemia.
Sweet potato planting exist in many areas of Indonesia, particularly in West Java. Various sweet potatoes are cultivated in those areas, but the recommended varieties are daya, prambanan, borobudur, mendut and kalasan because it has good resistance to scurvy and scab disease. Indonesian Center for Food Crops Research and Development had released twelve high-yielding varieties of potato, but the most recommended varieties are Daya, Prambanan, Borobudur, Mendut, and Kalasan. In general, local varieties show specific adaptation, have good eating quality, and the planting material is available in the area.
According to the Badan Pusat Statistik (Statistics Indonesia, 2015) the production of sweet potatoes in 2015 decreased by 121,534 tons from 2015. The decline in production also occurred in West Java and Papua which has a land area of 17 percent and 19 percent of the national harvest area. Decrease in production of sweet potatoes were due to pests and diseases. Common diseases known to attack sweet potatoes include bacterial wilt, scabies, leaf spot, fusarium wilt, tuber rot, and Puru due to nematodes. In addition there are some viruses that can attack sweet potatoes such as Sweet Potato Feathery Mottle Virus (SPFMV), Sweet Potato Chlorotic Stunt Virus (SPCSV), Sweet Potato Virus Disease (SPVD) and Sweet Potato Virus G (SPVG).
Research conducted in Plant Virology Laboratory of Plant Protection Department, Faculty of Agriculture of Bogor Agricultural University (FAPERTA IPB) identified virus diseases attacking sweet potato in the major production areas in Bogor. The research started by identifying symptoms of diseases on sweet potato leaves, and further identifying virus in tissues of the infected leaves.
The study on “Identifikasi Virubilar di Bogor” by Anastasya Hondo, Muhammad Fikri Hafizh, Kartika Catur Damayanti and Niky Elfa Amanatillah, carried out under the Program Kreativitas Mahasiswa bidang Penelitian (PKM-P Student Creativity Program for Research) will provide appropriate information on the important sweet potato diseases attack sweet potato plants for public in large in Bogor. So we can prevent diseases caused by viruses and manage them well. Appropriate handling of pest and diseases will increase the production of sweet potatoes in Indonesia. (Wied)
