Abstract

                                The sweet potato has been grown exclusively by vegetative means. This continuous asexual propagation appears to have greatly contributed towards the persistence of any type of sterility that might have existed in the original seedling or of any type of sterility which might have developed later. Asexual propagation is believed to allow the accumulation of recessive gene mutations which may be more often detrimental to sexual processes. If the original mutation had a tendency towards sexual incompatibility clonal multiplication seems to extend the incompatibility part to the individual and the entire variety.

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