Sweet Potato (Shakarkand)
Ipomoea batatas
A hardy tuber crop grown from vine cuttings, not seed, where nearly everything comes down to the sweet potato weevil — a small insect that bores into the tubers and makes them bitter and useless even when the damage looks tiny. Beating it means clean, weevil-free cuttings, ridges kept earthed up over the tubers, and lifting the crop on time.
Quick Summary
The key points from this page in about two minutes — read it or have it read aloud.
Quick Summary
Sweet potato (shakarkand) is a hardy, low-input root crop grown mainly in Odisha, Bihar, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and the south. It is a kharif (June–August) rainfed crop in most of the country and a rabi crop under irrigation elsewhere. It stores a lot of food energy per acre on poor land with little fertiliser, which is why it matters for food security.
Sweet potato is not grown from seed. It is planted as vine cuttings — the top 20–30 cm of a healthy shoot, with three or four leaf-joints — pushed into well-made ridges. Where those cuttings come from decides the crop's health: cuttings from a clean, weevil-free, virus-free nursery give a healthy crop, while cuttings taken from old field vines carry the sweet potato weevil and feathery mottle virus straight into the new field.
The one pest that decides a sweet potato crop is the sweet potato weevil (Cylas formicarius). The grub bores into the developing tuber; even a small amount of feeding makes the whole tuber bitter and unfit to eat, because the plant produces a foul-tasting compound in response. The weevil reaches the tubers through cracks in the soil and through tuber shoulders that push above the ridge. So control is about keeping the tubers covered: plant on firm, well-formed ridges, re-ridge (earth up) at about 30 and 60 days to close soil cracks and cover exposed tubers, use weevil-free dipped cuttings, run pheromone traps, rotate away from sweet potato for a year or two, never leave a ratoon or volunteer crop, lift the crop as soon as it matures rather than leaving it in dry cracked soil, and destroy all the vines and cull tubers after harvest.
Beyond the weevil, sweet potato is easy: it needs moisture while the tubers are forming (weeks 3–6), tolerates drought after that, and must not be over-fed nitrogen or over-watered late, or it "runs to vine" and makes few, thin tubers.
- Crop type
- Warm-season annual root/tuber crop (grown from vine cuttings)
- Season
- Kharif (June–Aug planting); rabi Oct–Dec under irrigation
- Suitable states
- Odisha, Bihar, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh
- Growing duration
- 90–120 days (short-duration types 90–105)
- Water requirement
- Low overall; critical only during tuber initiation (weeks 3–6)
- Temperature
- Warm, 21–32°C; needs a frost-free growing period
- Soil type
- Well-drained sandy loam; loose soil for good tuber shape, pH 5.5–6.8
- Difficulty level
- Moderate (sweet potato weevil, keeping the tubers covered)
- Expected yield
- 15–25 t/ha (up to 30 t/ha with improved varieties and good management)
- Key risk
- Weevil boring the tubers, making the whole tuber bitter and inedible
Overview
Sweet potato, or shakarkand (Ipomoea batatas), is a warm-season root crop grown for its starchy, sweet storage roots and, in some areas, for its edible leaves and as fodder. It is drought-hardy, grows on poor soils with little fertiliser, and yields a large amount of food per acre, so it is an important food-security and nutrition crop — the orange-fleshed types are rich in vitamin A.
India grows it mainly in the kharif season (planting June–August) as a rainfed crop in Odisha, Bihar, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh; in the south and under irrigation it is also a rabi and near year-round crop. Odisha grows the most.
It is planted as vine cuttings, not seed, on ridges or mounds, and matures in 90–120 days. Two things decide the crop: starting with clean, weevil-free, virus-free cuttings from a proper nursery, and keeping the sweet potato weevil out of the tubers by earthing up the ridges and harvesting on time.
Crop timeline, sowing to harvest
A quick visual map of the season — jump to any section below for the detail behind each stage.
- Day 0
Planting
Apical vine cuttings 20–30 cm long, dipped against the weevil, planted at an angle into ridges 60 cm apart with 2–3 nodes buried; kharif June–August, rabi October–December under irrigation.
- Day 7–15
Establishment
The buried nodes root and the cutting starts new shoots; a light irrigation helps if the monsoon is late. Gap-fill any cuttings that failed within 10 days.
- Day 20–40
Vine growth & tuber initiation
The vine runs and covers the ridge; the storage roots begin to form. Steady moisture now sets the tuber number — this is the crop's critical stage. First earthing-up around day 30.
- Day 45–75
Tuber bulking
The tubers swell. Keep nitrogen low and water moderate — excess of either now sends the plant into leaf and vine instead of tuber. Second earthing-up around day 60 to cover the swelling tubers and close soil cracks.
- Day 80–110
Maturity
Vine growth slows, older leaves yellow, and a lifted test tuber shows firm, well-filled flesh with skin that does not scuff off easily.
- Day 90–120
Harvest
Lift the whole crop as soon as it matures — do not leave tubers in dry, cracked soil where the weevil gets in. Cut and remove all the vines the same day.
Suitable states
States where this crop is grown at scale, highlighted below. Your local Krishi Vigyan Kendra is still the final word for your specific block.
- Jammu and Kashmir
- Himachal Pradesh
- Punjab
- Uttarakhand
- Haryana
- Delhi
- Uttar Pradesh
- Rajasthan
- Bihar
- Jharkhand
- West Bengal
- Sikkim
- Assam
- Arunachal Pradesh
- Meghalaya
- Nagaland
- Manipur
- Mizoram
- Tripura
- Gujarat
- Madhya Pradesh
- Chhattisgarh
- Maharashtra
- Odisha
- Goa
- Telangana
- Andhra Pradesh
- Karnataka
- Kerala
- Tamil Nadu
- Puducherry
- Ladakh
- Chandigarh
- Lakshadweep
Grown here
Climate requirements
The crop wants moisture early (tuber initiation) and drier conditions later (bulking and maturity) — the opposite of what a late monsoon often gives, which is why timely planting matters.
Ideal temperature
A warm-season crop, best at 21–32°C. It needs a frost-free growing period of at least 90–100 warm days and stops growing below about 15°C. Very high temperatures with dry soil push it into vine growth and cracked tubers.
Rainfall
In most of India it is a rainfed kharif crop needing about 600–800 mm well distributed over the season. It tolerates drought once established but a dry spell during tuber initiation cuts the number of tubers badly, and heavy late rain on mature tubers causes cracking and rot.
Humidity
Moderate. Prolonged wet, humid weather favours leaf-spot diseases and stem rot and slows the drying of the ridge.
Sunlight
Full sun. A shaded crop makes long leafy vines and few tubers.
Soil requirements
A loose, well-formed ridge does two jobs at once: it gives the tubers room to swell into a good shape, and it keeps them covered against the weevil. Time spent making firm, high ridges pays back in both yield and quality.
Suitable soil
A well-drained, loose sandy loam or loam is ideal. Loose soil lets the tubers swell into a smooth, regular shape; heavy clay gives small, knobbly, misshapen tubers and rots them in a wet spell. Sweet potato does well on relatively poor land that would not carry a demanding crop.
pH range
Best at pH 5.5–6.8, slightly acidic. It tolerates mildly acid soils well; strongly alkaline or saline soils reduce yield and quality.
Drainage
Free drainage is essential. Waterlogging for even a day or two rots the tubers and kills the vine in patches, so the crop is always grown on ridges or mounds.
Organic matter
Responds to modest organic matter — 8–10 t/ha of well-rotted FYM or compost — worked into the ridges. Too much fresh manure or nitrogen, though, pushes vine growth at the expense of tubers.
Land preparation
Same four steps whichever region you are in — only the timing shifts with the sowing window.
- 1
Plough and form ridges
Plough two or three times to a fine, loose tilth, then form ridges 25–30 cm high, 60 cm apart. On very light soils, mounds are used instead. Firm, well-shaped ridges are the foundation of both tuber quality and weevil control.
- 2
Mix in modest organic matter and basal fertiliser
Work 8–10 t/ha of well-rotted FYM plus a basal dose of phosphorus and potash and part of the nitrogen into the ridge. Keep nitrogen modest — sweet potato is a light feeder and excess nitrogen suppresses tubers.
- 3
Raise or buy clean planting material
Set up a small nursery of healthy mother plants for cuttings, or buy vine cuttings from a certified, weevil-free, virus-free source. Do not use cuttings from last season's field vines.
Seed information
How the main varieties compare, so you can pick by duration, yield, disease pressure or what you are growing for.
| Variety | Duration | Yield | Disease resistance | Best state | Suitable for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
A CTCRI (ICAR-Central Tuber Crops Research Institute) semi-spreading variety with light pink skin, cream flesh and good cooking quality, resistant to root-knot nematode. A widely grown, dependable table variety maturing in 90–105 days. | 90–105 days | 20–27 t/ha | Resistant to root-knot nematode | Odisha, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal | Fresh table market, general cultivation |
A short-duration CTCRI variety (released with Sree Varun) with pink skin, cream flesh and good cooking quality, tolerant of moisture stress — a good choice for a short rainfed window or a late-planted crop. | 90–100 days | 20–28 t/ha | No special resistance claimed; drought-tolerant | Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh | Short-season and rainfed cultivation |
A short-duration CTCRI variety with cream skin and cream flesh, released alongside Sree Arun for early-maturing crops; smooth tubers and reliable yield in 90–105 days. | 90–105 days | 20–25 t/ha | No special resistance claimed | Odisha, Bihar, West Bengal | Early crop, double-cropping systems |
A CTCRI variety with purple-red skin and orange flesh high in carotene, a semi-spreading vine, maturing in about 100–110 days. Grown where the orange-fleshed nutrition type is wanted. | 100–110 days | 20–25 t/ha | No special resistance claimed | Kerala, Odisha, Tamil Nadu | Nutrition (vitamin A) market, orange-flesh sales |
A biofortified CTCRI variety with deep orange flesh very rich in beta-carotene (about 14 mg/100 g), released for nutrition programmes and the health-food market. Matures in about 105–110 days. | 105–110 days | 18–22 t/ha | No special resistance claimed | Odisha, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka | Vitamin A biofortification, health-food and processing market |
A biofortified CTCRI variety with purple flesh rich in anthocyanin (about 90 mg/100 g), an antioxidant pigment, released alongside Bhu Sona for the nutrition and natural-colour market. | 105–110 days | 16–20 t/ha | No special resistance claimed | Odisha, Kerala, Karnataka | Anthocyanin nutrition market, natural food colour, speciality sales |
A release from Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa (Bihar), suited to the north and eastern plains, with good tuber yield and adaptability to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh growing conditions in about 100–110 days. | 100–110 days | 20–25 t/ha | No special resistance claimed | Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand | North and eastern plains cultivation |
- Seed rate
- About 40,000–55,000 vine cuttings per hectare (roughly 16,000–22,000 per acre), each a 20–30 cm apical cutting with 3–4 nodes. Raising the cuttings needs a mother-plant nursery of about 300–500 m² per hectare of crop.
- Certified seed
- Use apical vine cuttings — the top 20–30 cm of a vigorous shoot — from a healthy nursery raised from certified, weevil-free, virus-free planting material. Do not use cuttings from the tuber-bearing base of the plant, and never use old vines pulled from last season's field, which carry the weevil and feathery mottle virus. Dip the cut ends in a recommended insecticide solution before planting.
- Spacing
- Ridges 60 cm apart; cuttings 20–30 cm apart along the ridge, planted at a slant with the middle 2–3 nodes buried and the growing tip above ground.
- Seed treatment
- Dip the basal 8–10 cm of each cutting in a recommended insecticide (against the weevil) and, if stem rot has been a problem, a fungicide, for a few minutes before planting. Let cuttings from a lush nursery wilt in the shade for a day first — slightly wilted cuttings root faster.
Sowing guide
Do not plant the base ("tuber end") cuttings or short 2-node stubs — apical cuttings establish faster, run less to vine and give a better tuber set.
- Best time
- Kharif: plant June to August with the early monsoon. Rabi (under irrigation): October–December. In the south and on the coast, planting is possible over a longer window. Time the crop so tuber initiation (weeks 3–6) lands in reliably moist soil and bulking and maturity fall in drier weather.
- Row spacing
- 60 cm between ridges
- Plant spacing
- 20–30 cm between cuttings along the ridge
- Sowing depth
- Middle 2–3 nodes buried 5–8 cm deep, tip above ground
- Method
- Plant apical cuttings at a slant into the moist ridge so the buried nodes will root, leaving the growing tip and top leaves exposed. On very light soil, mound-planting is used. Firm the soil around each cutting.
Fertilizer schedule
A split dose beats one large dose applied at sowing — nitrogen especially is lost to the air and to leaching if it all goes in on day one.
- 1
Basal (at planting)
Day 0
Well-rotted FYM in the ridge, plus a basal dose of about 20–25 kg N, 25–30 kg P₂O₅ and 50–60 kg K₂O per hectare. Potash is the key nutrient for sweet potato — it drives tuber number, size and eating quality.
- 2
Top-dressing
30–40 days after planting (at first earthing-up)
The rest of the nitrogen (roughly 20–25 kg N/ha) and, on potash-poor soils, an extra dose of potash, placed beside the rows and covered during earthing-up.
- 3
Note on nitrogen
Whole season
Keep total nitrogen modest (around 40–50 kg N/ha). Excess nitrogen, or a heavy dose late, sends the plant into leaf and vine and cuts the tuber yield sharply — the classic "all vine, no root" mistake.
Irrigation schedule
1. Planting to establishment
Day 0–15
A light irrigation at planting and again a week later if the soil dries, so the cuttings root; the rainfed kharif crop usually relies on the monsoon here.
2. Tuber initiation
Day 20–45
The one critical period — keep the soil evenly moist while the storage roots are forming. A dry spell now sharply reduces the number of tubers per plant.
3. Bulking to maturity
Day 45–110
Reduce water; sweet potato tolerates drought during bulking and actually makes better tubers in moderately dry conditions. Stop irrigation 2–3 weeks before harvest so the skin sets and the tubers lift and store well.
Critical stages
- Establishment of cuttings
- Tuber initiation (weeks 3–6)
Water-saving tips
- The crop needs water at only one stage — tuber initiation. Concentrating limited water there, and keeping the rest of the season dry, gives the best return per drop.
- A dry finish is a feature, not a problem: cutting off water before harvest sets the skin, raises the dry-matter content and improves storage life.
- Do not irrigate a mature crop in cracked soil — wet–dry swings crack the tubers and open a path for the weevil.
Weed management
Common weeds
Organic control
- One or two hand-weedings in the first 5–6 weeks, timed with the earthing-up operations so weeding and re-ridging are done together.
- The earthing-up at 30 and 60 days buries small weeds on the ridge while it covers the tubers against the weevil.
- A quick shallow inter-row hoeing before the canopy closes clears the furrows; after that the dense vine does the work.
Chemical control
- A pre-emergence herbicide cleared for sweet potato applied to clean, moist ridges right after planting can hold weeds through establishment; confirm the product and dose with your local KVK.
- The vine canopy closes over the ridges by about 6 weeks and then suppresses most weeds on its own, so herbicide is mainly an early-crop tool.
Nutrient deficiency identification
What a shortage of each nutrient actually looks like on the plant, so you can tell a deficiency apart from a disease before you spray the wrong thing.
Potassium
Visible symptom
Scorched, bronzed margins on older leaves and small, long, thin, poorly filled tubers with low dry matter that store badly — sweet potato is very potash-hungry, so this is the most common limiting deficiency.
Nitrogen
Visible symptom
Pale, small leaves and weak vine on genuinely poor soil — but the far more common problem is too much nitrogen, which grows lush vine and few tubers.
Magnesium
Visible symptom
Yellowing between the veins of older leaves with the veins staying green, spreading up the vine, common on light acid sandy soils.
Boron
Visible symptom
Corky, cracked patches on the tuber surface, internal brown flecks and a distorted growing point, on light or over-limed soils.
Diseases to watch for
Symptoms, likely cause and what actually treats it — not just a spray name.
Sweet potato feathery mottle (virus complex)
- Symptoms
- Faint feathery yellow patterns along the veins of young leaves, puckering and mild mottling, stunted vines, and — with the more damaging virus combinations — a marked drop in tuber size and number and cracked, russeted tuber skin.
- Cause
- A complex of viruses (sweet potato feathery mottle virus and others), spread by aphids and whitefly and, crucially, carried forward in infected vine cuttings season after season.
- Treatment
- No cure. Rogue out clearly virus-stunted plants; the real control is at planting.
- Prevention
- Always start from certified virus-free (tissue-culture-derived or index-tested) planting material, raise nursery mother plants away from old sweet potato fields, control aphids and whitefly in the nursery, and never propagate from a poor-looking crop.
Stem rot / Fusarium wilt
- Symptoms
- Yellowing and wilting of the vine starting from the base, a brown-black rot and shredding of the stem near the soil, and brown streaks in the split stem; plants die in patches that recur on the same land.
- Cause
- The soil fungus Fusarium, entering through the roots and stem base, worse in warm, wet soil and on land cropped to sweet potato repeatedly.
- Treatment
- Remove and destroy affected plants; a fungicide drench of the surviving plants can slow spread where the disease has a history.
- Prevention
- Use healthy cuttings dipped in a fungicide, rotate away from sweet potato for 2–3 years, improve drainage, and add Trichoderma-enriched compost to the ridge.
Black rot
- Symptoms
- Circular, sunken, firm dark brown to black spots on the tuber, mostly showing up after harvest and in storage; the flesh under the spot is greenish-black and bitter, and cuttings from an infected plant damp off at the base.
- Cause
- The fungus Ceratocystis fimbriata, carried on infected planting material and surviving in the soil and on crop debris; it enters through wounds.
- Treatment
- Discard all spotted tubers; do not store or plant them. There is no cure for an infected tuber.
- Prevention
- Plant only clean cuttings from healthy stock, handle the crop gently to avoid wounds at harvest, cure and store only sound tubers, and rotate away from sweet potato.
Scurf
- Symptoms
- Grey to dark brown blotches on the tuber skin only, which do not go into the flesh; the tuber is still edible but looks poor, and scurfy tubers lose water and shrivel faster in storage.
- Cause
- The fungus Monilochaetes infuscans, carried on infected cuttings and surviving in the soil for a few years.
- Treatment
- Cosmetic only — no treatment needed for eating, but discard scurfy tubers as planting or storage stock.
- Prevention
- Take cuttings well above the soil line from clean plants, rotate for 2–3 years, and avoid replanting into recently infested ground.
Pests to watch for
What to look for before the damage is visible, and organic options before you reach for a chemical.
Sweet potato weevil
- Identification
- A slender, ant-like weevil about 6 mm long with a blue-black body and reddish-orange legs and thorax, found on the vines and around the crown; tubers with small round exit holes and dark tunnels, and flesh that is bitter and smells strongly when cut.
- Damage
- By far the most damaging pest of sweet potato — the grub tunnels through the tuber, and even light feeding makes the whole tuber bitter and unfit to eat, because the plant produces a foul-tasting terpene in response. Losses of 20–50%, and occasionally the whole crop, are common in the dry season and in poorly managed fields.
- Organic control
- Plant weevil-free cuttings dipped in insecticide; plant on firm, high ridges and re-ridge at 30 and 60 days to close soil cracks and cover exposed tubers; run sex-pheromone traps to mass-trap the males; rotate away from sweet potato for 1–2 years; remove all volunteer and ratoon plants; lift the crop as soon as it matures rather than leaving it in cracked soil; and burn or deep-bury every vine and cull tuber after harvest.
- Chemical control
- A recommended soil or foliar insecticide at planting and at each earthing-up where weevil pressure is high; but cultural control (covered tubers, clean cuttings, rotation, timely harvest) does far more than sprays.
Tortoise beetle
- Identification
- Small, flattened, gold or brown shield-shaped beetles and spiny, dark larvae carrying a shield of cast skins and dung, all on the leaves; the leaves show small round "shot-hole" and window feeding.
- Damage
- Adults and larvae eat holes in the leaves; a heavy infestation can noticeably reduce the leaf area and check vine growth, but the crop usually tolerates moderate feeding.
- Organic control
- Handpick beetles and larvae, spray neem, and conserve natural predators; keep the field and bunds free of morning-glory weeds that host the beetle.
- Chemical control
- A recommended insecticide only when defoliation is heavy and spreading, observing the pre-harvest interval.
Aphids and whitefly
- Identification
- Small soft-bodied insects (green aphids, white winged whitefly) on the growing tips and leaf undersides, with sticky honeydew and sooty mould.
- Damage
- Direct feeding is minor, but both insects spread the feathery mottle virus complex within and between fields and into the nursery, which is where the real cost is.
- Organic control
- Neem sprays, yellow sticky traps in the nursery, a reflective mulch, and conserving ladybird beetles and lacewings; the priority is keeping the nursery mother plants clean.
- Chemical control
- A recommended systemic insecticide mainly in the nursery, to protect the mother plants that the whole crop is propagated from.
Field rats
- Identification
- Tubers gnawed in the ground, especially near field bunds and channels, with burrow holes and runways along the plot edges; damage rises as the crop matures.
- Damage
- Direct loss of storage roots close to harvest, when they are large and sweet; loss concentrates along field margins and can be heavy in a bad rat year.
- Organic control
- Keep bunds and channels clear of cover, encourage owls and other predators, and run community rat-control drives before the tubers mature.
- Chemical control
- Approved rodenticide baiting in burrows along the field edges, following safe-use rules.
Common mistakes to avoid
The mistakes that cost growers the most, ranked by how often they show up in the field — not in the order you might expect.
- 1
Planting vine cuttings taken from last season's field crop.
Why it hurts
Old field vines carry the sweet potato weevil and the feathery mottle virus complex straight into the new field. Always plant apical cuttings from a healthy nursery raised from certified, weevil-free, virus-free stock.
- 2
Not earthing up the ridges.
Why it hurts
As the soil dries it cracks, and the tubers push their shoulders above the ridge — both give the weevil a way into the tubers. Re-ridging at about 30 and 60 days keeps the tubers covered and is the single most effective cultural control.
- 3
Over-feeding nitrogen or over-watering late in the crop.
Why it hurts
The plant "runs to vine" — lush leafy growth and few, thin tubers. Keep total nitrogen modest, give plenty of potash instead, and keep the soil on the dry side during bulking.
- 4
Leaving the mature crop in the ground.
Why it hurts
Every extra week a mature crop sits in dry, cracked soil is more weevil damage. Lift the whole crop as soon as it matures and remove the vines the same day.
- 5
Ratooning the crop or leaving volunteers.
Why it hurts
Ratoon shoots and self-sown volunteers keep the weevil and the virus alive between crops. Destroy all crop residue after harvest and rogue out any volunteers in the following crop.
- 6
Storing weevil-damaged or bruised tubers with the sound crop.
Why it hurts
Weevil grubs and rot spread through a stored heap; one infested tuber can taint a whole basket. Sort strictly at harvest and store only clean, dry, undamaged tubers.
Harvesting
Lift at 90–120 days, as soon as the crop matures — vine growth slowed, older leaves yellowing, and a test tuber firm and well filled with skin that does not scuff off easily. Harvest in dry weather on drying soil. Do not leave a mature crop in the ground: every extra week is more weevil damage.
Signs it is ready
- Vine growth slowed and older leaves yellowing
- Test tuber firm, well filled, at full size for the variety
- Skin set — it does not rub off easily with a thumb
- Soil drying and starting to crack over the ridge (harvest now, do not wait)
Tools
- A country plough or spading fork to open the ridge
- Hand-lifting the tubers from the loosened ridge
- Knives or sickles for cutting and removing the vines
- Baskets or crates and shade for curing and holding the lifted tubers
Expected yield
Roughly 15–25 t/ha for a well-managed crop, and up to 30 t/ha with an improved variety, good potash and clean planting material. On an acre this is about 60–100 quintals, or more for the orange-fleshed nutrition varieties under good management.
Post-harvest & storage
Storage
Cure the tubers first — hold them at warm temperature and high humidity in the shade for 4–7 days so cuts and skin scuffs heal over; cured tubers store far longer. Then keep them in a cool, dry, ventilated store, ideally 13–16°C (below about 10°C causes chilling injury and internal browning). In village conditions, a cool, dry, sand-covered pit or a ventilated shed holds sound tubers for several weeks.
Packaging
Pack cured, sorted tubers in ventilated crates or baskets in shallow layers; avoid tight sacks that trap heat and moisture and start rot. Keep weevil-damaged and bruised tubers strictly separate.
Transportation
Move in the cool of the day, protected from sun. Handle gently — every bruise and cut is an entry point for rot and shortens storage life.
Shelf life
1–2 weeks unrefrigerated in the plains; 2–4 months at 13–16°C and 85–90% humidity after proper curing. Uncured or bruised tubers spoil within days.
Market prices
Today's mandi price near you, pulled live from the government's own Agmarknet data.
Live daily mandi prices from the government Agmarknet dataset.
Synced from data.gov.in (Agmarknet). Rates are ₹ per quintal.
Weather
Current conditions and a 5-day outlook for your selected location, with one line of stage-aware advice.
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Live data from Open-Meteo
Profit calculator
Your own cost sheet, expected yield and selling price — not ours.
Where the money goes
Share of the total cost per acre, using the calculator’s own default cost sheet below — adjust the numbers there to match your field and this picture will no longer apply to you exactly, but the ranking rarely changes.
- Labour35% (₹12,000)
- Land rent21% (₹7,000)
- Seed9% (₹3,000)
- Fertiliser9% (₹3,000)
- Pesticide & weedicide7% (₹2,500)
- Machinery7% (₹2,500)
- Irrigation7% (₹2,500)
- Interest4% (₹1,500)
Official downloads
Government and ICAR documents only — everything below is hosted on an official server.
ICAR-CTCRI, Thiruvananthapuram
Sree Bhadra, Sree Arun, Sree Varun, Sree Vardhini, Bhu Sona, Bhu Krishna and the sweet potato package of practices
ICAR-CTCRI — sweet potato weevil management
Integrated management of Cylas formicarius: clean cuttings, earthing-up, pheromone traps, rotation
Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa
Rajendra Shakarkand varieties and north/eastern-plains advisories
Kisan Call Centre — 1800-180-1551
Free crop advice in your language
Frequently asked questions
Why are my sweet potatoes bitter even though they look almost undamaged?
That is the sweet potato weevil. When the grub tunnels into a tuber, the plant produces a foul-tasting compound throughout the tuber in response — so even a little feeding makes the whole tuber bitter and inedible, not just the damaged part. The way to stop it is to keep the weevil away from the tubers: plant clean weevil-free cuttings, earth up the ridges at about 30 and 60 days so cracks and exposed tubers are covered, use pheromone traps, rotate, and lift the crop on time.
Where should I get planting material?
Use apical vine cuttings — the top 20–30 cm of a healthy shoot with 3–4 leaf-joints — from a nursery raised from certified, weevil-free, virus-free stock. Do not use cuttings from the tuber-bearing base of the plant, and never use old vines pulled from last season's field: those carry the weevil and the feathery mottle virus straight into your new crop.
My crop grew huge vines but small, thin tubers. What went wrong?
The plant "ran to vine" — usually from too much nitrogen, too much water late in the crop, or both. Sweet potato is a light feeder: keep total nitrogen modest, give plenty of potash instead, and keep the soil on the dry side once the tubers start bulking. A dry finish makes better, firmer tubers.
When should sweet potato be planted?
In most of India it is a kharif crop planted June to August with the early monsoon; under irrigation it can also be a rabi crop planted October–December, and in the south it is grown over a longer window. Time it so tuber initiation (weeks 3–6) falls in reliably moist soil and the bulking and maturity period falls in drier weather.
Do I need to "cure" sweet potatoes before storing?
Yes, if you want them to keep. Curing means holding the freshly lifted tubers somewhere warm, humid and shaded for 4–7 days so the cuts and skin scuffs from harvest heal over. Cured tubers store for months; uncured or bruised tubers rot within days.
Does sweet potato have an MSP or a mandi price?
There is no MSP for sweet potato. It is traded on Agmarknet as "Sweet Potato", with daily records from APMC markets in Odisha, Bihar, West Bengal and the larger cities. Demand and price rise around festivals and in winter, when sweet potato is widely eaten.
Still have questions?
The FAQs above cover the common ones. For anything specific to your field and soil, your nearest Krishi Vigyan Kendra is the authoritative answer.