Sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas) is a tuberous root crop and an important agricultural staple in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Due to its year-round production potential, drought tolerance, adaptability to calcareous soils, and cultural significance, a more efficient land-use and cropping system is needed. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of sweetpotato cutting length on yield per linear foot on five cultivars, ‘Bonita’, ‘Bellevue’, ‘GA-11’, ‘Murasaki’ and ‘Sakura-40’. Actively growing vines from five cultivars were propagated using 6–8-inch terminal cuttings and 3-foot cuttings. An 8-inch drip irrigation system was used for both treatments. After 130 days, harvest data were collected on number of tuberous roots, weight, and marketable yield. Results showed that Bonita, Bellevue, and Murasaki produced higher yields (kg/ft) when planted with 6–8-inch cuttings, whereas ‘GA-11’ and ‘Sakura-40’ yielded more with 3-foot cuttings. Similarly, ‘Sakura-40’, ‘Bonita’, and ‘Bellevue’ had greater numbers of marketable and total roots per foot with 6–8-inch cuttings, while ‘Murasaki’ and ‘GA-11’ performed better in both categories with 3-foot cuttings. These findings indicate that optimal cutting length is variety-specific, with certain cultivars favoring shorter cuttings for higher yield and root number, while others benefit from longer cuttings. This research was funded by a USDA Mutistate Hatch Grant.
