Molecular Pathogens, 2025, Vol.16, No.3, 87-99 http://microbescipublisher.com/index.php/mp 87 Research Insight Open Access Study on the Occurrence Pattern and Field Management of Sweet Potato Root Rot Xing Zhao 1, Kaiwen Liang 2 1 Tropical Microbial Resources Research Center, Hainan Institute of Tropical Agricultural Resources, Sanya, 572025, Hainan, China 2 Agri-Products Application Center, Hainan Institute of Tropical Agricultural Resouces, Sanya, 572025, Hainan, China Corresponding email: kaiwen.liang@hitar.org Molecular Pathogens, 2025, Vol.16, No.3 doi: 10.5376/mp.2025.16.0011 Received: 20 Mar., 2025 Accepted: 26 Apr., 2025 Published: 12 May, 2025 Copyright © 2025 Zhao and Liang, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Zhao X., and Liang K.W., 2025, Study on the occurrence pattern and field management of sweet potato root rot, Molecular Pathogens, 16(3): 87-99 (doi: 10.5376/mp.2025.16.0011) Abstract Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) is an important food and economic crop, but root rot disease-widespread during cultivation and storage-poses a serious threat to its yield and quality. The disease is mainly caused by soil-borne fungal infections, with Fusarium species, particularly Fusarium oxysporum and F. solani, being the most common pathogens. These fungi cause root decay in both field and storage conditions, often resulting in 10%~20% yield loss. This review summarizes the pathogen types and biological characteristics, disease development patterns and influencing factors, symptom identification and diagnostic techniques, as well as current integrated field control strategies and case studies. Based on a review of recent domestic and international studies, we found that the occurrence of sweet potato root rot is closely related to environmental conditions, varietal resistance, and soil physicochemical properties. Continuous monoculture reduces beneficial microbes and leads to pathogen buildup, increasing disease pressure. To effectively manage this complex disease, integrated green control strategies-including the use of resistant seed roots, improved cultivation practices, crop rotation and fallow periods, biocontrol agents, and soil improvement-are essential. This review provides a scientific basis for field management of sweet potato root rot and proposes future research directions in resistance breeding, soil health, and interdisciplinary collaboration to support the sustainable development of sweet potato production. Keywords Sweet potato; Root rot; Fusarium; Disease development; Biological control; Green management 1 Introduction Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) is an important food and cash crop with a wide range of cultivation areas around the world. It plays an irreplaceable role in ensuring food security and providing industrial raw materials. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the global sweet potato production in 2021 was about 88.9 million tons, of which China's production accounted for about 55%-58% of the world's total, maintaining the first place in the world (Zhang et al., 2021). Sweet potato is highly adaptable, high-yielding and nutritious. It is rich in carbohydrates, dietary fiber and multiple vitamins and minerals. It is known as a "health crop" and a relief food for developing countries (Ray and Ravi, 2021). However, sweet potato production still faces many limiting factors, among which pests and diseases are one of the key obstacles to the stable and high yield of sweet potato. Sweet potato root rot is a common fungal disease in the main sweet potato producing areas around the world. It is a rot disease caused by pathogens in the soil infecting sweet potato tubers or plant roots. The disease can occur during the sweet potato growing season and storage period, among which tuber rot during storage is particularly common and serious (Paul et al., 2021; Kim et al., 2022). Root rot often lurks in wounds after harvest, and gradually expands to form lesions during storage, causing dry rot, hollows, or even complete rot of the tubers, resulting in serious storage losses (Scruggs and Quesada-Ocampo, 2016; Yang et al., 2021). Studies have shown that root rot develops fastest under high temperature and high humidity conditions (Lee et al., 2023). For example, in a storage environment of 23 °C~29 °C and relative humidity >90%, the decay process of sweet potato root rot is significantly accelerated (Paul et al., 2021). The prevalence of this disease will directly reduce the supply of commercial potatoes and reduce the quality of sweet potatoes.
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