Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Light Green

Sweet Potato

Variety Description

Variety used for comparison: 'Margarita'

Summary: 'Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Light Green' has a more upright bushy growth habit with stronger degree of branching than 'Margarita'. The plant width of 'Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Light Green' is narrower than 'Margarita'. 'Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Light Green' has a thinner stem than 'Margarita'. The leaf of 'Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Light Green' is slightly smaller than 'Margarita'. 'Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Light Green' has a cordate shaped leaf while it is reniform to palmately lobed in 'Margarita'. The shape of the leaf base in 'Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Light Green' is cordate while it is truncate to reniform in 'Margarita'. 'Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Light Green' has a shorter petiole than 'Margarita'. The leaf colour of 'Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Light Green' is a slightly yellower light green than 'Margarita'.

Description:

PLANT: vegetatively propagated perennial grown as an annual, upright-bushy to mounded growth habit, dense degree of branching

STEM: light green, absent or very weak anthocyanin colouration, absent or weak glaucosity, absent or very sparse pubescence, thin, 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, light green (RHS N144A) upper side, green brown (RHS 151A) lower side, no variegation, petiole present, absent or very weak anthocyanin colouration of petiole

Origin & Breeding History: 'Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Light Green' originated from a conventional cross between the Ipomoea batatas varieties NC7-1ORN as the female parent and NC146-1ORN as the male parent. The cross was conducted between the fall and spring 0f 2001 and 2002 at North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. NC7-1ORN was selected from seed of the selfing of 'Sulfur' and NC146-1ORN resulted from the cross between 'Sulfur' as the female parent and the clone 'S x BLR7-2' as the male parent where the 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 2002 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 NC779-23NORN.

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 Light Green' with reference variety 'Margarita'

Plant width (cm)

Leaf length (cm)

Leaf width (cm)

Petiole length (mm)

Click on image for larger view

Sweet Potato: 'Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Light Green' (left) with reference variety 'Margarita' (right)