A researcher at Assiniboine Community College in Brandon is testing whether it would be commercially viable to grow sweet potatoes in Manitoba.

Dr. Sajjad Rao revealed some of his findings earlier this month at the Manitoba Direct Farm Marketing Conference in Morden.

SAJJAD ROE SMALL
Dr. Sajjad Rao

"I can see there's a promising chance," he said. "The only thing is the germ plasm and the genetics which can grow in our frost free days, which is approximately 105 days. I'm trying to figure out and identify some good varieties, and they are available on the market."

Dr. Rao notes research from the past year has indicated that sweet potatoes grown in this province are comparable to crops grown in eastern Canada and parts of the United States in terms of uniformity, yield and size.