Ming Gao
At the Governor Bill and Vara Daniel Farm and Ranch, Ming Gao has developed a ‘PV’ Purple variety of sweet potato. Gao, a Senior Research Scientist in the College of Agriculture and Human Sciences’ current research project, aims to evaluate the production of the purple sweet potato in Texas for market consumption. Food consumption in the U.S. is trending towards healthy, colorful, and versatile foods that are easily accessible. To meet rising demand, the national production of sweet potatoes has steadily increased in recent years. The hot days and warm nights in Texas are perfect for the production of sweet potatoes. Despite its fine, sandy loam soil, Texas has dropped from its position as the 3rd largest sweet potato producer to the insignificant 5th position.
Purple varieties of sweet potato are rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, making them a healthy addition to health-conscious consumers. Magesh Rajan, Vice President for Research & Innovation states, “The purple sweet potato is a high-nutrient commercial product with exponential potential for use in the ever-growing health-conscious consumer market. Gao’s development of a sweet potato variety that is ‘PV’ purple only adds to our exuberance about his grant award.” Purple sweet potatoes are versatile enough to be used in cupcakes as well as ice cream. However, when cooked in their natural state, they are dry and starchy, prompting most to use the purple sweet potatoes as flour for baked goods, or in some cases, for ice cream. Dr. Gao wants his variety of purple sweet potato to be more palatable.
Gao earned the coveted USDA-National Institute of Food and Agriculture 1890 Institution Capacity Building Grant to support his research. The project will focus on developing a variety that is enjoyable in its natural state and is moist and tastefully sweet. Gao states, “This funding will enable us to conduct field testing of a new purple-sweet potato hybrid for public release, and studies to better understand the anthocyanin synthesis or the formation of purple flesh color.”
According to the USDA, one purple sweet potato provides far more than 100% of your recommended daily allotment of vitamin A.
Ming Gao:
Key Interests: Sweet potato genomics; phylogenetic origin of the hexaploid sweet potato genome; genetic mechanism regulating the formation of storage roots in sweet potato; starch biosynthesis and genetic engineering in sweet potato; and genetic mechanism regulating starch granule formation and its size distribution.
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Karen Cotton-Jones