Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

The meeting had 38 presentations from members of the National Sweetpotato Collaborators. The 38 presentations (oral plus posters) consisted of 17 non-graduate students and 11 M.S. and 10 PhD graduate students.  Historically, there are between 15 to 20 graduate student who make presentations.  The information presented by graduate students related to their research projects. The presentations were in the research areas of sweetpotato plant biology, crop production including cultural practices and disease, insect and weed management, and sweetpotato processing and marketing.  Abstracts were developed for each presentation.

A 64-page report was developed for the meeting and is attached.  The report includes the agenda, abstracts of all presentations, approved 2024 business meeting minutes, production reports from each sweetpotato state, results from the 2024 National Sweetpotato Collaborators Variety trials, and resolutions. 

There was a lot of discussion and plans made for the 2025 National Sweetpotato Collaborators Variety trials.  The group developed a list of varieties/clones that will be included in the trials and sites/states where these trials will be located.  

Winners of the Graduate Student Presentation Contest (M.S. and Ph.D.) were selected based on their performance and then announced at the meeting.  Members of SERA5 participated in the judging of graduate student presentations.

Tristan Watson (LSU) completed his responsibilities as Chair of SERA5 and Lorin Harvey (Mississippi State Univ.) assumed responsibilities as Chair.  Past Chair was Shaun Francis (University of AR - Pine Bluff).  Currently, Callie Morris serves as Secretary-Treasurer, Katie Jennings (NC State Univ.) as Website Manager, and Michelle McHargue (Lamb Weston, WA) as the Graduate Student Contest Coordinator for SERA5. 

Landgrant Universities (1862 and 1890), USDA, and scientists from Brazil and Hungary were represented at the meeting this year.

Throughout the year, leadership meetings occurred to plan the meeting.  

Short-term outcomes - Local grower meetings and tours were conducted to inform growers how to best manage their sweetpotato crop (production, pest managment including nematodes, diseases weeds and insects. Field days were conducted in many of the states represented by SERA5. An example can found at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjLnd10NgXsewJdKbNkhB-X9zS8awCKbs  

Outputs:  The attached report has outputs that are listed.  See also publications that are listed in the publication sections.

Activities: The National Sweetpotato Collaborator meetings, the National Clean Plant Network, and the National Sweetpotato Grower Advisory meetings are where members of SERA5 develop collaborative research and Extension activities to address the needs of the Sweetpotato Industry.

Milestones: Members of SERA5 are working together on a number of issues in sweetpotato: management of Root-Knott nematodes, insects, weeds, diseases, quality, yield, new varieties for production, processing, labor, marketing, nutrition, other uses and many others.  

see attached file