• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.196-206
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• 2018

Dramatic increase in global population accompanied by rapid industrialization in developing countries has led to serious environmental, food, energy, and health problems. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has estimated world population will increase to 9.7 billion by 2050 and require approximately 1.7 times more food, and more than 3.5 times energy than that of today. Particularly, sweetpotato is easy to cultivate in unfavorable conditions such as heat, drought, high salt, and marginal lands. In this respect, sweetpotato is an industrially valuable starch crop. To replace crops associated with these food and energy problems, it is necessary to develop new crops with improved nutrients and productivity, that can be grown on marginal lands, including desertification areas using plant biotechnology. For this purpose, exploring useful genes and developing genetically modified crops are essential strategies. Currently, sweetpotato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.] have been re-evaluated as the best health food and industrial crop that produces starch and low molecular weight antioxidants, such as vitamin A, vitamin E, anthocyanins and carotenoids. This review will focus on the current status of research on sweetpotato biotechnology on omics including genome sequencing, transcriptome, proteomics and molecular breeding. In addition, prospects on molecular breeding of sweetpotato on marginal lands for sustainable development were described.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.161-167
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• 2015

Sweetpotato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam] grows well in harsh environmental conditions, and is cultivated as one of the top seven food crops in the world. Recently, sweetpotato is drawing interest from people as a healthy food because it is high in dietary fiber, vitamins, carotenoids and overall nutrition value. However, few studies have been conducted on sweetpotato genome sequencing in spite of its importance. This review is aimed at increasing the efficiency of sweetpotato genome sequencing research as well as establishing a base for gene utilization in order to control useful traits. Recently, animal and plant genome sequencing projects increased significantly. However, sweetpotato genome sequencing has not been performed due to polyploidy and heterogeneity problems in its genome. Meanwhile research on its transcriptome has been conducted actively. Recently, a draft of the diploid sweetpotato genome was reported in 2015 by Japanese researchers. In addition, the Korea-China-Japan Trilateral Research Association of Sweetpotato (TRAS) has conducted research on gene map construction and genome sequencing of the hexaploid sweetpotato Xushu 18 since 2014. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation launched the 'sweetpotato genomic sequencing to develop genomic tools for Sub-Sahara Africa breeding program'. The chloroplast genome sequence acquired during sweetpotato genome sequencing is used in evolutionary analyses. In this review, the trend of research in the sweetpotato genome sequencing was analyzed. Research trend analysis like this will provide researchers working toward sweetpotato productivity and nutrient improvement with information on the status of sweetpotato genome research. This will contribute to solving world food, energy and environmental problems.