Investigating Uses for Industrial Sweetpotato in Addition to Ethanol Production to Establish Industrial Sweetpotato as a Sustainable Crop in the Southeastern United States.

Abstract

Field studies were conducted evaluating the effect of nitrogen fertilizer on yield, crude protein (CP), total digestible nutrients (TDN), and acid detergent fiber (ADF) of industrial sweetpotato tuberous roots (Ipomea batatas) cultivar ‘Xushu.’ After harvest, sweetpotatoes were dried and submitted for feed analysis for possible use as animal feed. Sweetpotatoes were also fermented and the fermentation by-product was submitted for feed analysis for possible use as protein supplement in animal feed. Feed analysis revealed that the energy (TDN) levels of fresh sweetpotato were similar to corn, the current standard energy component in commercial livestock feeds. Feed analysis of sweetpotato fermentation byproduct revealed CP levels that were half to two thirds the amount in soybean. The TDN and CP levels in this research suggests that fresh industrial sweetpotato tuberous roots could be used as an energy source in livestock feed and industrial sweetpotato fermentation by-product can be used as a protein source in livestock feed.