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Genetic variation diversity and genotype by environment interactions of nutritional quality traits in East African sweetpotato: Genetic variation diversity and genotype by environment interactions of nutritional quality traits in East African sweetpotato Sweetpotato is one of the staples earmarked by global initiatives to fight micronutrient deficiency, particularly Vitamin A deficiency (VAD). The present study seeks to contribute to the pre-breeding knowledge base required for the improvement of sweetpotato nutritional quality by targeting β-carotene, dry matter, starch, sucrose and minerals as a sustainable strategy to reduce the problems associated with the micronutrient deficiencies and malnutrition among people in developing countries. For the genetic diversity study, eighty five east-African farmer varieties and seven varieties of non-African origin as check clones were analyzed using 26 simple sequence repeat markers. In conclusion, the East African germplasm appears to be distinct from non-African germplasm; and orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) and white-fleshed sweet potato (WFSP) farmer varieties from East Africa are closely related. OFSP farmer varieties from East Africa might show similar adaptation to Sub-Saharan Africa environments as WFSP and a big potential in alleviating Vitamin A deficiency.