First commercial sweet potato harvest in Odesa region
20 December 12:49
Odesa region is becoming a center of innovative agribusiness. And it is here that sweet potatoes, or sweet potatoes, have been seriously cultivated. This was reported by the head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, Oleh Kiper, according to Komersant ukrainskyi.
According to him, a few years ago this root vegetable was exotic, but today it has become a new agricultural trend that wins the hearts of gourmets and has taken its place in the menus of many restaurants and family meals.
According to Oleg Kiper, farmers in Odesa region continue to surprise with non-standard solutions: in Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi district, Budzhak farm has completed harvesting sweet potatoes on an area of 7 hectares – one of the largest in Ukraine!
Farm manager Oleksiy Zgirin says that the cultivation of the Beauregard variety was made possible by the introduction of the latest technologies, including the use of virus-free planting material. This has reduced the number of chemical treatments and improved product quality.
What is this “exotic” sweet potato?
Sweet potato, or kumara, or sweet potato, comes from the tropical regions of America, says NV. Sweet potato tubers are about 30 cm long with thin skin, depending on the variety, they can vary greatly in shape – round, spindle-shaped. The flesh can be white, orange, yellow, red and even purple.
Sweet potato is an incredibly healthy root vegetable, just like celery root, beets, radish and Jerusalem artichoke. Sweet potatoes contain useful carotenoids and anthocyanins that are resistant to heat treatment. The calorie content of sweet potatoes is 60 kcal per 100 g, which is slightly less than that of potatoes – 77 kcal. Sweet potatoes contain vitamins B, A, C, and are rich in phosphorus, thiamine, and riboflavin.
Orange and yellow varieties of sweet potatoes contain a large amount of beta-carotene, sometimes exceeding even carrots. The varieties with purple flesh contain anthocyanins, which are preserved even after heat treatment.
Sweet potatoes are often recommended for people with diabetes, as the root vegetable’s insulin index is significantly lower than that of potatoes, which helps stabilize blood sugar levels. The root vegetable also helps to normalize the activity of the liver, kidneys and gastrointestinal tract, and also helps with chronic fatigue, insomnia, and eye diseases.
Sweet potatoes can be eaten raw, but most often the root vegetable is boiled, fried, stewed, baked, and canned. During heat treatment, sweet potatoes do not lose their nutrients. When cooked, sweet potatoes taste most like sweetish frozen potatoes, which is why they are called sweet potatoes. Raw sweet potatoes taste similar to carrots.
Sweet potatoes can be used to make vegetable broths and soups, as well as added to cereals, salads, dumplings, lasagna, stuffed cabbage, and pancakes. Fish, cheese, and mushrooms go well with sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are also used to make starch, chips, jams, preserves, and soufflés.
How sweet potatoes are grown
In Ukraine, the Kherson region was the first to grow sweet potatoes. The climate there is just perfect for this crop.
The sweet potato requires minimal maintenance and grows in the form of a creeping vine, according to the EOS Data Analytics website. This crop develops well in warm, humid conditions at temperatures not exceeding 29-35°C. Temperatures above 38°C during cultivation can slow down the growth of the root crop, but with sufficient irrigation and night temperatures below 27°C, this is usually not a problem. For best plant development, it is important to provide sunlight for six to eight hours a day during the growing season.
The ideal soil for growing sweet potatoes on an industrial scale is permeable, slightly acidic to neutral (pH 6.0-6.5) and rich in nutrients and organic matter. Despite this, this crop can grow normally in almost any type of soil.
As for the cultivation of sweet potatoes in Ukraine, farmers in the northern regions prefer early-ripening varieties, while in the forest-steppe zone farmers grow early- and mid-ripening crops. In steppe conditions, late-ripening varieties are the best option for a rich harvest.
