Selecting orange-fleshed sweet potato genotypes using selection indices

ABSTRACT Vitamin A deficiency is common in developing countries. Sweet potato can be an ally in reversing this situation since it has a low acquisition cost and high market availability. In addition, some genotypes have orange-flesh roots, rich in beta-carotene, which is the precursor of vitamin A. Thus, the objective of this research was to select orange-fleshed sweet potato genotypes using two selection indices (Smith and Hazel and Mulamba & Mock). For this purpose, seven half-sibling families with orange flesh roots (141 experimental genotypes and the commercial cultivar Beauregard) were evaluated, assessing yield-related traits, external appearance of roots, pulp color intensity, and susceptibility to Euscepes postfasciatus. The genotypes UZBD-C-14, UZBD-U1-25, UZBD-F-15, UZBD-C-30, UZBD-K-32, UZBD-U1-10, UZBD-L2-14, and UZBD-L5-67 were the most promising, showing greater balance for the evaluated characters. Furthermore, these genotypes are suitable for new studies to confirm their productive performance and root quality and evaluate the biochemical parameters that prove the inheritance of the character regulating biofortification mediated by carotenes.