development of alternative storage sink sites in sweet potato Ipomoea batatas

Sweet potato plants were found to develop three alternative storage sink sites: adventitious roots, replanted tubers and stems, indicating that the capacity for tuberization is not limited to the root system. In each case, sink development occurred as a result of meristematic activity of the vascular cambium and anomalous cambia associated with differentiating vascular bundles in the pith. The involvement of environmental, anatomical and physiological parameters in the tuberization of sweet potato is discussed.