Hot and dry weather in Louisiana has compromised the size of the sweet potato crop leading into the fall and winter seasons. The southern state is among the top four states in the nation that produces sweet potatoes.
Farmer Larry Fontenot: "We've had no rainfall here in the last two months.” His sweet potato farm is currently dusty from the lack of soil moisture, his warehouse is half-empty when it would usually be full of sweet potatoes.
According to LSU AgCenter research coordinator Tara Smith, the subterranean nature of sweet potatoes is what makes them particularly susceptible to adverse weather and varying environmental conditions. To help farmers combat these high-impact variables, researchers from Louisiana State University run a breeding program to find the most resilient seeds.
Source: foxweather.com
