University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona Professor Noureddine Benkeblia has advanced talks on research, biotechnology and production of potato and sweetpotato during a recent visit to the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) and the Institute of Vegetables and Flowers in China, January 7-15. During the visit, Professor Benkeblia also discussed the development of new projects between CAAS and UWI.
 
On January 9-10, Prof. N. Benkeblia visited the Institute of Vegetables and Flowers (IVF), Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), The Herbarium, the potato tissue culture laboratory, and potato greenhouses. On January 12, He visited the Confucius Mansion at Qufu city, the Institute of Life Sciences (Qufu University) where he gave a talk on “Sweetpotato, Agronomy, Agro-processing and Biotechnology”, and finally he visited Lifeng Group Company and their facilities.
 
On January 13, Prof. Benkeblia visited the Jiangsu Teacher’s University, and the Department of Life sciences, Xuzhou city, where he gavel another talk on “Postharvest Technologies of Sweetpotato”.
 
During his visit, he met  scientists and researchers working on potato and sweetpotato. The discussion focused mainly on the recent development on sweet potato and potato biotechnology, and how to develop new varieties resistant to drought and some diseases. On the other hand, the development of new sweetpotato varieties was discussed especially the biofortification and nutritional enhancement of tubers by increasing anthocyanins content of purple potato and sweetpotato.