Kūmara (Sweetpotato) Establishment: A Comparison of Modern and Traditional Methods

Kūmara (sweetpotato, Ipomoea batatas (L.)) is cultivated exclusively by vegetative means in both commercial and small-scale systems in New Zealand’s temperate climate. Tipu (root sprouts) are raised from storage roots and planted directly into the ground for cultivation. Traditional methods utilized by Māori employ a technique of pulling the tipu from the parent root with pre-rooting still attached, while modern commercial methods rely on tipu cut from the parent kūmara and planted directly. An experiment using the cultivar Owairaka Red was undertaken to determine the differences between methods in plant establishment 30 days after transplanting. It can be postulated that traditionally cultivated tipu produce plants with greater drought resistance as well as a competitive ability against weeds in the critical stages of early establishment. In consideration of climate change, plants adaptive to marginal regions and resilient to diverse conditions are an important long-term benefit to traditional Māori agricultural systems.