Effects of Potassium and Phosphorous Fertilization on Quality of Sweet Potatoes1

Potassium applications from 0 to 140 kg/ha at 4 locations had more influence on quality of sweet potatoes than P applications of 0 to 73.9 kg/ha as an average of years and locations. As the rate of K but not P applications increased, percent dry matter decreased. K and P applications reduced protein content and firmness of canned roots. K slightly increased the crude fiber content (dry wt basis) of the roots, whereas P applications had no affect on fiber content. K and P fertilization had no influence on carotenoid content (fresh or processed), percent splitting of canned roots, or crude fiber content (fresh weight basis). Year and location effects were noted for some of the quality variables studied. Most of the differences observed were of low magnitude, thus had little effect on the overall quality of sweet potatoes. The most outstanding effect was the reduction in dry matter content due to K applications.