DIVERSITY STUDIES OF SWEET POTATO (Ipomoea batatas [L.]Lam), TOWARDS FOOD SECURITY IN NIGERIA: A REVIEW.

Abstract

Sweet potato is one of the most important root crop in the world, and the plant is farmed, marketed, and used extensively in almost every ecological zone in Nigeria. However, breeders have found it challenging to identify the ideal parental combination for breeding new varieties due to the plant's massive, complex genome and highly heterozygous hexaploid genetic makeup. This review therefore examined studies on genetic diversity of the plant, highlighting the characterization method adopted and proposed varietal combinations for breeding programs towards boasting food security in Nigeria.   Between 10^th of June, and 10^th of July, 2025, a search of the internet was conducted in which a total of 55 original research articles where downloaded out of which seven papers with accessions/varieties collected in Nigeria were selected and reviewed. Findings showed the use of agronomic, agro-morphological, morphological, molecular, and anatomical markers in the characterization of sweet potato accessions and varieties. Five studies (71.4%) reported high level of genetic diversity, while two studies (28.6%) reported low level of genetic diversity. The Umuspo-1, Umuspo-3, and Nwaoyinma varieties from the National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike were widely recommended for breeding programs in Nigeria. Sweet potato has enormous potential to contribute to government efforts towards food security in Nigeria, and diversity studies towards the collection of germplasm and improved breeding of the plant is of utmost importance in this regard.