: Scientists Grow Purple Orange Sweet Potatoes; Can Help Reduce Diabetes, Cancer Risks #IndiaNEWS #Agriculture Sweet potatoes, which are a type of root crop grown in subtropical regions, have a host

Scientists Grow Purple Orange Sweet Potatoes; Can Help Reduce Diabetes, Cancer Risks #IndiaNEWS #Agriculture
Sweet potatoes, which are a type of root crop grown in subtropical regions, have a host of health benefits. Dr Nedunchezhiyan Maniyam, the principal scientist at the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) — Central Tuber Crops Research Institute (CTCRI) in Bhubaneshwar, says, “The vegetable is rich in nutrition. If eaten for breakfast, it can provide energy to work until the evenings, especially for those who toil in fields. This is owing to the low glycemic index which causes the insulin to mix with the bloodstream slowly. ???
In India, these crops are widely grown in hilly or tribal areas of the country’s eastern parts, as weather conditions here are suitable for tuber growth.
“In Odisha, sweet potatoes are grown across 40,000 hectares of land,??? Dr Nedunchezhiyan says.
Dr Nedunchezhiyan Maniyam, the principal scientist at ICAR-CTCRI, Bhubaneshwar.
Low glycemic index in these vegetables helps control sugar levels. This means that sweet potatoes can be regularly consumed by people with diabetes in limited quantities.
To further enhance the benefits offered by this root vegetable, in 2016, Dr Nedunchezhiyan, along with other researchers at the institute, developed and launched two new varieties of sweet potatoes — Krishna (Purple colour) and Sona (Orange colour). These varieties are rich in anthocyanin and beta carotene, he says.
The coloured sweet potatoes grown at CTCRI, Bhubaneswar.
“These varieties were already popular in countries like the USA and Mexico. However they were rarely grown in India, as they needed to be modified to grow in our climate or soil conditions,??? says Dr Nedunchezhiyan, adding that the purple variety has the potential to fight free radicals in the body which cause cancer.
Nine years of research
In 2007, a few cuttings of purple and orange sweet potatoes were brought to the research institute from a country where they were already being grown. The researchers studied the vegetable’s properties and started testing its growth pattern in Indian soil and climate.
“We planted the purple and orange sweet potato spuds on our institute’s 50-acre land and waited for three months to check for tuber growth. They were planted in fertile red soil during September-October. Because of Bhubaneswars weather, the plants grew well. However, there was growth only in the upper part (leafy portion) of the plant. Under the surface, the tuber growth was poor,??? says Dr Nedunchezhiyan.
This was because the soil was too tight, and needed to be loose for aeration. In the following years, the researchers used the saplings grown on their land, genetically improved them to suit Indian conditions, and re-planted them.

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