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Published

sweet potato

vr.tr.sweet-potato · thing-q37937

Let an agent identify the sweet potato and its varieties, relay cultivation, nutrition, storage and trade information from agricultural and food authorities, and separate it from potato, yam and other roots.

Thing Registry Physical world and living systems PHY.LIV

Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled

4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions

Identify What sweet potato this is.

Plant

Plant and variety.

Plant

Plant.

  1. What is the sweet potato botanically, and which variety or type is meant? definition
  2. Is the root a sweet potato, a yam or a potato? boundary

Types

Types by flesh.

Types

Types.

  1. How do orange, white and purple types differ in use and nutrition? definition
  2. Which entry fits a specific cultivar? action
Grow Cultivation and storage.

Cultivation

Growing.

Cultivation

Cultivation.

  1. How is sweet potato propagated, grown and harvested, according to agricultural guidance? provenance
  2. Which entry fits crop production? action

Storage

Curing and storage.

Storage

Storage.

  1. How are roots cured and stored, and what causes losses? provenance
  2. Which entry fits postharvest handling? action
Food Nutrition and use.

Nutrition

Nutrition.

Nutrition

Nutrition.

  1. What nutrients does sweet potato provide, from food composition sources? measurement
  2. Is the user asking for personal dietary advice, which needs a professional? boundary

Cuisine

Uses.

Cuisine

Cuisine.

  1. How is sweet potato used in cuisines, and what products are made from it? provenance
  2. Which entry fits a specific dish? action
Context Trade and history.

Trade

Production and trade.

Trade

Trade.

  1. Who produces and trades sweet potato, with figures and sources? measurement
  2. Which sources are cited? provenance

History

Domestication and spread.

History

History.

  1. Where was sweet potato domesticated, and how did it reach Polynesia, Africa and Asia, with debates attributed? provenance
  2. Which references are standard? provenance

Classifiers Filled

Family
Thing Registry
Category
Physical world and living systems
Entry kind
thing
Plane
PHY
Domain
PHY.LIV
Other names and narrower kinds
soknorang sweet potato, owairaka red, Beauregard, Batata-Doce da Madeira, Batata doce de Aljezur

What it is Filled

A root vegetable, Ipomoea batatas, a trailing vine of the morning glory family grown for its sweet, starchy tuberous roots in orange, white, purple and yellow types; domesticated in the Americas and now a staple in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, unrelated to the potato and to the yam despite the names used in some countries.

Why it exists Filled

Let an agent identify the sweet potato and its varieties, relay cultivation, nutrition, storage and trade information from agricultural and food authorities, and separate it from potato, yam and other roots.

Distinguishing features Filled

  • Morning glory family, not a nightshade
  • Storage root, not a tuber
  • Orange types rich in provitamin A
  • Propagated from slips and cuttings

What robots and AI may and may not do Filled

Must not

  • Present sweet potato as the same plant as the yam or the potato.
  • Recommend moving planting material across borders against plant health rules.
  • Make unsupported health claims about sweet potatoes in marketing.

Only with a human decision

  • Introducing new varieties into a region's farming.

May

  • Describe sweet potato varieties, cultivation, storage and cooking.
  • Monitor stored roots for rot and sprouting for the grower.

Moral aspects Filled

  • Sweet potato is a staple food for many poor households, so crop health matters to food security.
  • Farmer-bred varieties are a heritage of the communities that developed them.

Who is affected

  • Smallholder farmers
  • People who rely on it as a staple
  • Consumers

Owners Filled

Steward

The grower or the person who holds it; plant health authorities control planting material.

Master systems

  • Plant genetic resources databases

Links to other meta-models Filled

parent

  • Q11004 - registry parent class
  • Q11992872 - registry parent class
  • Q192691 - registry parent class

related

  • root vegetable - a storage root crop
  • useful plant - a crop
  • yam - a different family called sweet potato in some countries
  • potato - an unrelated tuber

What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled

Identity and identifiers required Filled

  • Vercy registry: vr.tr.sweet-potato
  • Wikidata: Q37937 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q37937)
  • taxon: Ipomoea batatas species name
  • HS code: 0714.20 trade classification

Direct properties required Filled

  • root mass: 0.1-2 kg - typical marketed sizes
  • growing season: 3-5 months
  • world production: about 90 million tonnes per year - FAO figures; China the largest producer

Recognition required Filled

  • Elongated roots with tapered ends and smooth thin skin
  • Vine with heart-shaped or lobed leaves
  • Yams have rough bark-like skin; potatoes are tubers of a nightshade
  • A trailing vine with heart-shaped leaves and elongated tuberous roots with thin skin and flesh from white to deep orange or purple.

Capabilities and actions required Filled

  • identify varieties and types
  • relay cultivation and storage guidance
  • relay nutrition information in general terms
  • distinguish it from potato and yam

Hazards and failure modes required Filled

  • Sweet potato weevil and viral diseases
  • Storage rot and chilling injury
  • Confusion with yam in trade and recipes

Standards and interfaces required Filled

  • Codex and national food standards
  • Plant health rules on propagation material
  • Protected designations for regional varieties
  • FAO statistics standards

Context of use required Filled

  • Food from its roots and leaves; animal feed and starch.
  • orange-fleshed varieties such as Beauregard
  • white and cream-fleshed varieties
  • purple-fleshed varieties
  • regional landraces and protected designations
  • leaf varieties grown as greens

Sources Filled

  1. Wikidata item Q37937: Sweet potato - identity and sense of the item
  2. Wikipedia: Sweet potato - general description of the item

Open questions

  • Should varieties be separate entries?
  • How should FAO statistics be linked?
  • The registry entry has merged aliases naming specific cultivars; should they be split off?

Machine files

Provenance

thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed

Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q37937/spec.json