Abstract

The sweet potato is essentially a crop of the tropics which is believed to have originated in South America. It is grown in the sub-tropics also. Though it is grown in a number of countries, the sweet potato regions are confined to Brazil, southern states of the United States of America, Malaya, East Indies, West Indies, China, India and parts of New Zealand and Australia. Spaniards are said to have been responsible for spreading sweet potato from South America and Mexico to the other parts of the world. It does not appear to have been known to early Greeks, Romans, Arabs or Egyptians. Early Chinese books describe a number of varieties and some of the names of the sweet potato varieties found therein bear a close resemblance to certain names given to sweet potato varieties in America or New Zealand. Whatever may be the origin of the crop, it is cultivated widely in many countries of the world now and millions of people use it as an article of food. The wide distribution of the sweet potato indicates that it is a popular food crop; it is immensely liked everywhere and its high yield has its own appeal.

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