Louisiana sweet potato and landscaping industries are set to get a boost from research performed by the LSU AgCenter.Two University researchers were awarded $300,000 in competitive grants to promote specialty crops in Louisiana. David Picha, horticulture professor, received a two-year, $77,000 grant to find the nutritional components of Louisiana sweet potatoes.Regina Bracy, professor of horticulture and resident coordinator of the Hammond Research Center, received a three-year, $233,000 grant to identify what plants grow and perform particularly well in Louisiana.The grants — awarded by the United States Department of Agriculture — are intended to fund research which will result in Louisiana agricultural products being more competitive on the market.”Our grant is involved with developing a marketing program specifically to Louisiana that will identify and promote plants that grow well in Louisiana, Bracy said. “We are calling it Louisiana Super Plants.”Plants identified as ones that grow well in the climate of Louisana will be labeled in retail situations, Bracy said. She said the plants identified by her research will be labeled as “LSU AgCenter-recommended.”The labels are intended to improve the sales of these plants and to benefit consumers because they know the plant thrives in Louisiana, Bracy said.Bracy said the University also benefits because the AgCenter’s name is on every plant sold.Texas has a similar program that labels Texas Superstar Plants. Bracy said the Texas program has generated about $1 million in extra sales to these super plants.”The ultimate goal is to promote these specialty crops,” Bracy said. “Once you have increased sales of these specialty crops, you have to also consider it takes more pots, fertilizer and whatnot, so it has a bit of a ripple effect on the whole economy.”Picha’s project goal is to increase the marketability of sweet potatoes.Picha said his research will entail a full nutritional and vitamin analysis of different edible forms of sweet potatoes — like baked or fried chips — involving different storage lengths.Once the nutritional components of the vegetables are analyzed, Picha said that information will be provided to growers and marketers to use to better market their products.”Many consumers do place a priority on healthy foods,” Picha said. “So if we can clearly define the nutritional value of different types of sweet potatoes, it will let consumers make an informed decision and lead them to choose the Louisiana sweet potato for its nutritional value.”- – – -Contact Xerxes A. Wilson at [email protected]