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Research Article

Seedling Quality and Yield Performance of Cutting-Derived Sweet Potato Seedlings for Mechanized Transplanting
Jin Oo Jang1†
,
Young Je Kim2†
,
Se Hun Ju3
,
Eun Ji Kim3
,
Beom Seon Lee4
,
Hyunseung Hwang5
,
Haeyoung Na6*
1Muan-gun Agriculture Technology Center, Muan 58521, Korea
2Department of Horticultural Science, Graduate School of Mokpo National University, Muan 58554, Korea
3Interdisciplinary Program of Development and Utilization of Biological Resources, Graduate School of Mokpo National University, Muan 58554, Korea
4Department of Horticulture, School of Green Smart Farm, Sunchon National University, Sunchon 57922, Korea
5Department of Horticulture and Breeding, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Gyeongkuk National University, Andong 36729, Korea
6Department of Horticulture and Forestry, College of Life and Medical Sciences, Mokpo National University, Muan 58554, Korea
*Corresponding Author
†These authors contributed equally to this work.
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Abstract

This study evaluated the seedling quality and yield performance of cutting-derived sweet potato seedlings to support mechanized transplanting. Two-node vine cuttings of the sweet potato cultivar ‘Beniharuka’ [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.] were prepared from terminal, second, and basal node positions and grown in a greenhouse for 20 or 30 days. In a field performance trial, these treatments were compared with conventional unrooted vine cuttings. Cutting survival rates during the nursery stage ranged from 99–100% across all treatments. After the nursery period, terminal-node cuttings grown for 30 days exhibited the greatest shoot and root lengths among the cutting-derived seedling treatments and, at 120 days after transplanting, showed the highest total yield and storage root weight per plant, with values numerically higher than those of the conventional vine cuttings. Moreover, most cutting-derived seedling treatments, except for 20 days basal cuttings, produced a greater proportion of marketable storage roots than the conventional unrooted vine cuttings. These results indicate that two-node cutting-derived seedlings, particularly terminal cuttings grown for 30 days, can maintain yield and marketable storage root production levels comparable to those from conventional vine transplanting. Therefore, cutting-derived seedlings may serve as suitable transplanting materials for mechanized sweet potato transplanting.

Keywords
Ipomoea batatas
planting material
transplanting
two-node cuttings
vine cuttings
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Information
  • Publisher :KOREAN SOCIETY FOR HORTICULTURAL SCIENCE
  • Publisher(Ko) :한국원예학회
  • Journal Title :Horticultural Science and Technology
  • Journal Title(Ko) :원예과학기술지
  • Received Date : 2026-03-24
  • Revised Date : 2026-05-26
  • Accepted Date : 2026-06-02
  • DOI :https://doi.org/10.7235/HORT.20260017
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