Sweet Potato — Commodity Profile

This commodity profile was rendered from knowledge.domain = commodity, key = sweet_potato (GDF v2.0, 3191 attributes, 28 sections).

Renderer: commodity_profile_renderer v1.0.0. Source row version: knowledge_forge_gdf_v2.0_export_2026-04-06.

Identity & Botany

Attribute	Value
Canonical name	Sweet Potato
Scientific name	Ipomoea batatas
Family / Genus	Convolvulaceae / Ipomoea
Produce category	Root Vegetable
Produce subcategory	Tuberous Root
FSMA 204 covered?	No
PLU — conventional	4091
PLU — organic	94091
AGROVOC URI	c_7536

Source: GDF v2.1.1 s01_identity. External: FAO AGROVOC.

Varieties

Estimated commercial varieties: 400.

Variety	Market share	Notes
Beauregard	45%	Deep orange flesh, smooth copper skin, high yields, excellent disease resistance. Most widely grown variety in the US. Sweet flavor with good texture. Developed by Louisiana State University.
Covington	25%	Deep orange flesh, rose-copper skin, higher dry matter than Beauregard. Excellent storage characteristics and disease resistance. Superior shape uniformity. Developed by North Carolina State Universit
Hernandez	8%	Light orange flesh, copper skin, earlier maturity than Beauregard. Good yields and disease resistance. Popular in southeastern US production.
Evangeline	6%	Orange flesh, smooth copper skin, resistant to Fusarium wilt and root-knot nematodes. Excellent uniformity and shape. Louisiana State University cultivar.
Jewel	4%	Deep orange flesh, copper skin, good flavor and texture. Older variety still popular in home gardens and some commercial production. Good storage life.
Murasaki	3%	White flesh, purple skin, specialty variety. Less sweet than orange varieties, drier texture. Popular in Asian markets and specialty produce sections.
Bayou Belle	3%	Deep orange flesh, smooth rose skin, resistant to Fusarium wilt and soil rot. Excellent internal color and good shape uniformity. Louisiana State University release.
Garnet	2%	Deep orange-red flesh, dark red-purple skin. Very sweet flavor. Popular on West Coast. Sometimes marketed as ‘red yams’ though botanically a sweet potato.
Centennial	1%	Light orange flesh, copper-orange skin, moist texture. Older variety developed in Louisiana in 1960s. Good flavor but lower yields than modern varieties.
Orleans	1%	Orange flesh, smooth copper skin, resistant to root-knot nematodes and Fusarium wilt. Good storage qualities and uniformity.
Stokes Purple	1%	Deep purple flesh and skin, specialty variety. High anthocyanin content. Premium pricing in specialty markets. Requires careful handling.
O’Henry	1%	Cream-white flesh, light tan skin, drier texture than orange varieties. Less sweet. Popular in Southern cooking and specialty markets.

Source: GDF v2.1.1 s04_varieties.variety_summaries.

Post-Harvest Handling

Temperature

• Chilling injury threshold: 50°F.
• Freezing point: 29.7°F. Hard limit.
• Handling urgency: 2 / 5.

Ethylene

Property	Value
Production class	very_low
Production rate (20°C)	0.2 μL/kg·h typical (0.1–0.3)
Sensitivity class	low
Sensitivity threshold	10 ppm
Climacteric?	No

Agent note: Sweet potatoes can be safely stored with most ethylene-producing commodities. Primary concern is temperature incompatibility, not ethylene.

Mixed-load compatibility

tropical_root_vegetables

Operational flags

• Can be top-iced? No
• Light-sensitive? No

Source: GDF v2.1.1 s07_harvest_post_harvest.

Market Intelligence

Demand

Strong growth trend driven by health consciousness, increased awareness of nutritional benefits, and versatility in cooking applications; per capita consumption increased 125% over past 20 years

Elasticity

Metric	Value
Price elasticity	-0.65
Income elasticity	0.42
Organic premium elasticity	-0.38

Market share by variety

Variety	Share
Beauregard	45%
Covington	35%
Evangeline	8%
Orleans	5%
Other varieties	7%

Pack sizes

• 40 lb
• 50 lb
• 3 lb consumer bag
• 5 lb consumer bag

Source: GDF v2.1.1 s09_market_intelligence.

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Rendered by commodity_profile_renderer v1.0.0 on 2026-05-15T22:30:00.000Z.