Batas Sweet Potato
By: Anonymous

About

Approximately 70 growers produce
sweetpotatoes (Ipomoea batas) on 7,800
acres in Merced County, and another 2,000
acres are grown in adjoining counties.
Production is about 12.5 tons of marketable
roots per acre and they sell for $460.00 per
ton, giving the crop a value of $45,500,000
per year.
The sweetpotato crop is started as
“slips” in the spring in hot beds from roots
that are stored over winter. The hot bed slips
are harvested in May and June and
transplanted into fields around the
Livingston and Atwater areas. These sandy
soils are preferred for sweetpotato
production because they produce the bestshaped
roots. The crop is harvested July
through October. The roots are then stored at
55° F until they are brought to the packing
line, sorted and packed into 40 pound boxes
for shipping.
Most of the sweetpotatoes grown in
Merced County are shipped to other parts of
the United States and to Canada.
Approximately 22 packing facilities operate
year-round to fill orders from clients on an
“as needed” basis. Few sweetpotatoes are
used locally as there are no canning,
freezing or other packing facilities.
The nutritive value of sweetpotatoes
is very high. They are a good source of
complex carbohydrates; of calcium, iron,
and other minerals; and of vitamins –
especially vitamin A and beta-carotene. One
source refers to the sweetpotatoes as the
MOST nutritious food. Humans have used
sweetpotatoes for consumption for many
centuries by the peoples of Central and
South America, as well as tropical islands in
the Pacific. Columbus is said to have
introduced sweetpotatoes to Europe.
University of California Cooperative Extension – Merced County
The

Information
Translations: Batas Sweet Kartupeļu, Batas Saldžiosios bulvės, Batas de cartofi dulci, Zakon slatki krumpir, Batas Zoete aardappel, Batas मीठे आलू, Batas Batata Doce, Batas Sweet картофеля, Batas Γλυκοπατάτα, كيبالا البطاطا الحلوة, Batas 고구마, Batas Sweet brambor, Batas Ubi Jalar, Batas kamote, 巴塔斯甘薯, Bates Camote, Batas Sweet zemiakov, Batas patata dolce, Batas בטטה, Батас Слатки кромпир, Batasサツマイモ, Batas de patates douces, Batas Camote, Batas Sweet картоплі, Batas Bataatti, Batas сладки картофи