Agromorphological Characteristics and Tuber Quality of Several Local Papua Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) Genotypes in Prafi Mulya Village, Manokwari

Papua is recognized as a secondary center of sweet potato diversity, yet many local genotypes have not been thoroughly characterized for their agronomic performance and tuber quality. This study aimed to evaluate the agromorphological traits and tuber quality of 12 local Papuan sweet potato genotypes. The research was conducted in Prafi Mulya Village, Manokwari, West Papua, from August 2024 to January 2025 using a Randomized Block Design with three replications. The results revealed considerable variation among the genotypes in both growth and yield characteristics. During the early growth stage, Numfor-01 and Manokwari-01 exhibited the longest vines, indicating strong early vigor. In the later growth stage, Airani and Tinta-01 showed superior vegetative growth through greater vine length. Koya-4 produced the highest number of branches, suggesting a greater potential for photosynthetic activity and plant development. Differences were also observed in yield components. Lokal Sorong produced the highest number of tubers per plant, averaging seven tubers, while Nabire, Numfor-01, and Prafi-01 each produced six tubers per plant. Airani recorded the largest tuber diameter (10.99 cm), followed by Nabire (10.48 cm). The longest tubers were produced by Nabire (21.52 cm), followed by Airani (21.21 cm). In terms of productivity, Nabire achieved the highest yield at 37.13 t/ha, followed by Lokal Sorong (29.13 t/ha) and Numfor-01 (27.60 t/ha), all exceeding the average sweet potato productivity in Papua. Tuber quality also varied significantly among genotypes. Manokwari-01 had the lowest water content (66.73%) and the highest dry matter content (39.26%), indicating good processing potential. Numfor-01 showed the highest sweetness level at 12.27°Brix. Overall, the study confirmed substantial agromorphological and quality variation among local Papuan sweet potato genotypes, highlighting their value as genetic resources for breeding, conservation, and the development of high-yielding and high-quality sweet potato varieties