Yanhong  Zhong^1,2

1 Kaihua Wohua Family Farm，Kaihua 324304， Zhejiang, China
2 Zhejiang Agronomist College，Hangzhou 310021, Zhejiang, China
Author    Correspondence author
Bioscience Methods, 2026, Vol. 17, No. 1   
Received: 09 Jan., 2026    Accepted: 10 Feb., 2026    Published: 22 Feb., 2026

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Sweet potatoes are a typical potassium-loving crop. Achieving a simultaneous increase in both high yield and high quality is of great significance for the sweet potato industry. However, the current production practice, which focuses on yield while neglecting quality, leads to limited improvement in the stability of yield and the quality of sweet potato tubers. This study focuses on the regulation of potassium fertilizer dosage to achieve a coordinated improvement in yield and quality of sweet potatoes. By setting different potassium fertilizer gradients (with consistent nitrogen and phosphorus supply and staged potassium application), the yield, dry matter rate, sugar components, and related physiological indicators were systematically observed. A multi-objective comprehensive evaluation was used to select the optimal potassium application strategy. The results show that an appropriate amount of potassium fertilizer can significantly increase the yield and commercial rate of sweet potato tubers, promote the accumulation of dry matter and starch, and increase the sucrose content of tubers, thereby achieving a balance between yield and quality. Insufficient potassium application limits yield due to insufficient nutrient supply and the poor flavor of tubers; excessive potassium application leads to a slower increase in yield and a decrease in fertilizer utilization rate. Mechanism analysis reveals that potassium enhances photosynthesis and the distribution of assimilates to the tubers, accelerating starch synthesis and sugar accumulation to simultaneously improve yield and quality. Based on the evaluation of all indicators, this study determined the appropriate range of potassium application for high-yield and high-quality sweet potatoes and proposed a fertilization strategy of "staged potassium application + goal-oriented", which can provide guidance for sweet potato production.

Sweet potato; Potassium fertilizer application; Dry matter ratio; Sugar composition; Yield and quality