Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Red

Sweet Potato

Variety Description

Varieties used for comparison: 'Black Heart' (Ace of Spades) and 'Sweet Caroline Bronze'

Summary: 'Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Red' has a wider plant than 'Sweet Caroline Bronze' but narrower than 'Black Heart'. The degree of branching of 'Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Red' is weaker than in 'Sweet Caroline Bronze'.'Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Red' has a slightly smaller leaf than 'Black Heart'. 'Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Red' has a cordate shaped leaf while it is reniform to palmately lobed in 'Sweet Caroline Bronze'. The shape of the leaf base of 'Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Red' is cordate while it is truncate to reniform in 'Sweet Caroline Bronze'. 'Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Red' has a shorter petiole than 'Black Heart'. The colour of the mature leaf of 'Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Red' is brown purple to dark purple red while it is dark brown in 'Black Heart' and 'Sweet Caroline Bronze'.

Description:

PLANT: vegetatively propagated perennial grown as an annual, mounded/spreading growth habit, medium degree of branching

STEM: purple, absent or weak glaucosity, absent or very sparse pubescence, thin to medium thickness, smooth shape

LEAF: alternately arranged, simple type, cordate shape, acute to acuminate apex, cordate base, entire margin, absent to very sparse pubescence on upper and lower side, absent to very weak glaucosity on upper side, brown purple to dark purple red (RHS 187A/B) upper side, dark brown (RHS N186C) lower side, no variegation, petiole present, very strong anthocyanin colouration of petiole

Origin & Breeding History: 'Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Red' originated from a conventional cross between the Ipomoea batatas varieties NC136-1ORN as the female parent and NC146-1ORN as the male parent. The cross was conducted between the fall and spring 0f 2002 and 2003 at North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. NC136-1ORN resulted from the cross between 'Sulfur' as the female parent and the clone 'S x BLR5-18' as the male parent, where the clone was derived from the cross between 'Sulfur' as the female parent and 'Blackie' as the male parent. NC146-1ORN resulted from a cross between 'Sulfur' as the female parent and the clone 'S x BLR7-2' as the male parent. This clone was derived from the cross between 'Sulfur' as the female parent and 'Blackie' as the male parent. A single plant was selected in August/September 2003 after being evaluated that spring/summer in the greenhouses based on foliage colour, leaf shape and size, branching, plant growth habit, flowering ability and plant vigour. The experimental designation was NC848-6ORN.

Tests & Trials: Trials were conducted during the summer of 2006 in Oxford Station, Ontario. 15 plants of each variety were individually grown in 10cm pots in a polyhouse. Plants were spaced 30cm apart. Observations and measurements were taken on 10 plants of each variety. Colour measurements were done using the 2001 RHS colour chart.

Comparison tables for 'Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Red' with reference varieties 'Black Heart' and 'Sweet Caroline Bronze'

Plant height (cm)

Plant width (cm)

Leaf length (cm)

Leaf width (cm)

Petiole length (mm)

Leaf colour (RHS)

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Sweet Potato: 'Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Red' (left) with reference variety 'Black Heart' (right)

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Sweet Potato: 'Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Red' (left) with reference variety 'Sweet Caroline Bronze' (right)