Outcomes of a virus degeneration study in sweetpotato in the Lake zone of Tanzania

In 2010, a project called Marando Bora was started in the Lake Zone of Tanzania to test whether virus-free sweetpotato planting material could be distributed large-scale to farmers. Two local Tanzanian sweetpotato varieties Polista and Ukerewe; two Ugandan varieties Ejumula and Kabode, and one American variety Jewel, were included in a trial to determine whether the vines remained virus-free though all the stages of multiplication. This trial has shown that a combination of a fairly resistant variety (e.g.,Kabode) plus roguing and selection of clean planting material, preferably by researcher-trained farmers, can maintain a good degree of health. This flyer summarizes the results and conclusions that were drawn from this work.