Mi-Nam Chung

Difference of Starch Characteristics of Sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam) by Cultivated Regions

We investigated out the effect of cultivation region on the physicochemical characteristics of starch in six sweetpotato cultivars. The following sweetpotato cultivars were analyzed: Daeyumi, Shingeonmi, Jinhongmi, Shinyulmi, Yulmi, and Yeonhwangmi. Samples were cultivated in Muan, Iksan, Nonsan, Boryeong and Hamyang. The soil texture was found to be sandy loam in Muan, Iksan, and Boryeong, sandy clay loam in Nonsan, and loam in Hamyang. The starch content of the sweetpotato was higher in Muan than in Hamyang. The amylose content was 22.3-30.9%, and the highest amylose content was found in samples from Iksan. Rapid viscosity analysis showed that the samples from Hamyang had the lowest values of pasting temperature, while samples of the Daeyumi cultivar had the highest values. Thermal analysis with a differential scanning calorimeter showed that the Muan samples had the highest values of onset temperature, maximum peak temperature, and completion temperature, and the samples from Hamyang had the lowest values. There was no difference between the cultivation regions or the cultivar in the X-ray pattern of the starch or its appearance in scanning electron micrographs. Therefore, the results of this study confirm that cultivation region and cultivar play an important role in determining the quality of sweetpotato and the physicochemical characteristics of sweetpotato starch.

Physicochemical Characteristics of Sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam) Starch Depending on Cultivation Periods

This study was performed to understand the effect of cultivation periods on the physicochemical characteristics of the starch of five sweetpotato cultivars, cultivated in Muan, Korea. Starch, protein, and ash contents increased with increased cultivation period, whereas amylose content decreased. Rapid viscosity analysis showed that the pasting temperature, peak viscosity, breakdown, setback and final viscosity increased with increased cultivation period. However, trough and final viscosity decreased. Although the onset temperature and peak temperature values increased, the conclusion temperature did not show any consistent patterns by differential scanning calorimetry. X-ray diffraction showed that the starch samples had C-type crystallinity irrespective of the cultivation period and cultivar. The starch granules were dominantly round and oval, or polygonal irrespective the cultivation period. The bigger the particle size was, the longer the cultivation period was.

Phylogeographic analysis of the full genome of Sweepovirus to trace virus dispersal and introduction to Korea

Sweet potato is a vegetatively propagated crop that is produced for both growth in Korean fields and for export out of the country. The viruses that are present in introduced sweet potatoes can spread both domestically and to foreign countries. Determining the time and path of virus movement could help curtail its spread and prevent future dispersal of related viruses. Determining the consequences of past virus and sweet potato dispersal could provide insight into the ecological and economic risks associated with other sweet potato-infecting viral invasions. We therefore applied Bayesian phylogeographic inferences and recombination analyses of the available Sweepovirus sequences (including 25 Korean Sweepovirus genomes) and reconstructed a plausible history of Sweepovirus diversification and movement across the globe. The Mediterranean basin and Central America were found to be the launchpad of global Sweepovirus dispersal. Currently, China and Brazil are acting as convergence regions for Sweepoviruses. Recently reported Korean Sweepovirus isolates were introduced from China in a recent phase and the regions around China and Brazil continue to act as centers of Sweepovirus diversity and sites of ongoing Sweepovirus evolution. The evidence indicates that the region is an epidemiological hotspot, which suggests that novel Sweepovirus variants might be found.

Virus Incidence of Sweet Potato in Korea from 2011 to 2014.

A nationwide survey was performed to investigate the current incidence of viral diseases in Korean sweet potatoes for germplasm and growing fields from 2011 to 2014. A total of 83.8% of the germplasm in Korea was infected with viruses in 2011. Commercial cultivars that were used to supply growing fields were infected at a rate of 62.1% in 2012. Among surveyed viruses, the incidence of five Potyvirus species that infect sweet potato decreased between 2012 and 2013, and then increased again in 2014. Representatively, the incidence of Sweet potato feathery mottle virus (SPFMV) was 87.0% in 2012, 20.7% in 2013 and then increased to 35.3% in 2014. Unlike RNA viruses, DNA viruses were shown to decrease continuously. The incidence of Sweet potato leaf curl virus (SPLCV) was 5.5% in 2003, 59.5% in 2011, and 47.4% in 2012. It then decreased continuously year by year to 33.2% in 2013, and then 25.6% in 2014. While the infection rate of each virus species showed a tendency to decline, the virus infection status was more variable in 2013 and 2014. Nevertheless, the high rate of single infections and mixed infection combinations were more variable than the survey results from 2012. As shown in the results from 2013, the most prevalent virus infection was a single infection at 27.6%, with the highest rate of infection belonging to sweet potato symptomless virus-1 (SPSMV-1) (12.9%). Compared to 2013, infection combinations were more varied in 2014, with a total of 122 kinds of mixed infection.