{"id":17716,"date":"2026-07-20T18:02:03","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T18:02:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/?p=17716"},"modified":"2026-07-20T18:02:03","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T18:02:03","slug":"exploring-sweet-potato-production-and-regional-seed-technology-at-cardi-by-shenequa-williams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/2026\/07\/20\/exploring-sweet-potato-production-and-regional-seed-technology-at-cardi-by-shenequa-williams\/","title":{"rendered":"Exploring Sweet Potato Production and Regional Seed Technology at CARDI by Shenequa Williams"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Day 14 – The Ministry of Agriculture Summer Internship Programme continued its hands-on learning experiences with an educational visit to the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI), where interns gained valuable insight into crop production, seed quality control, and the importance of regional food security.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Upon arrival, the interns were divided into two groups, with one group led by Mr. Greene and the other by Mr. Bachelor. Although separated, both groups participated in the same activities and received identical demonstrations throughout the day.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The visit began with an introduction to CARDI and the institute’s role in agricultural research and development across the Caribbean. The interns were then taken through the complete process of sweet potato production, from planting to harvesting. They learned that successful crop production involves much more than simply planting and fertilising. The presenters explained the importance of proper crop management, pest control, and maintaining healthy planting material to achieve high yields.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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During the field tour, the interns examined several sweet potato varieties and observed the differences in leaf shape, growth habits, skin colour, and flesh colour. They were introduced to varieties with white, cream, yellow, orange, and purple flesh and learned that these differences are not only genetic but also provide varying nutritional benefits. The interns were encouraged to include a variety of coloured sweet potatoes in their diets due to their health-promoting properties and potential role in reducing the risk of certain diseases.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The group also learned about common pests that affect sweet potato production, including the shoe fly and the hornworm. CARDI’s officers explained the importance of monitoring crops regularly and using appropriate pest management practices to protect plants before infestations become severe.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The seed technology tour was led by Mr. Bachelor, who introduced the interns to CARDI’s Seed Unit and provided an in-depth look at the processes used to ensure high-quality vegetable seeds. They observed how seeds are examined using specialised equipment such as a wind separator and a diascope, which helps technicians identify damaged, empty, or poor-quality seeds. They also learned how germination tests are conducted to ensure seeds meet acceptable quality standards before being distributed to farmers throughout the Caribbean.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The interns were fascinated to learn that Antigua and Barbuda serves as CARDI’s regional vegetable seed production centre due to its favourable dry climate, making it ideal for producing quality seeds for several Caribbean countries. They also toured the institute’s seed bank, where they learned how temperature, humidity, and careful record-keeping are used to preserve seed viability and support regional food security, particularly following natural disasters.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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To conclude the day’s activities, the two groups reunited for a practical demonstration led by Mr. Bachelor. Interns had the opportunity to place Scotch Bonnet pepper seeds into a millet wet vegetable seed separator, allowing them to observe another important step in the seed processing system.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The visit provided the interns with a greater appreciation for the science and technology behind crop production and seed management while highlighting CARDI’s significant contribution to strengthening agriculture and food security throughout the Caribbean.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Day 14 – The Ministry of Agriculture Summer Internship Programme continued its hands-on learning experiences with an educational visit to the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI), where interns […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17716","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news-notices"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17716","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17716"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17716\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17721,"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17716\/revisions\/17721"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17716"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17716"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17716"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}