Several potyviruses are found infecting sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) in Peru, of which sweet potato feathery mottle virus (SPFMV, genus Potyvirus) is the most common. However, sequence data for these viruses are not available from Peru. In this study, the 3′-terminal ̃1,800 nucleotide sequences of 17 potyvirus samples collected from the six main sweet potato-producing areas of Peru over the past 20 years were determined and analyzed. Results of sequence comparisons and phylogenetic analysis showed that three of the four recognized SPFMV strain groups, including the East African strain, are established in Peru as well as two other potyviruses: sweet potato virus G (SPVG) and sweet potato virus 2 (SPV2). The analysis further revealed that SPFMV, SPVG and SPV2 are related and form an Ipomoea-specific phylogenetic lineage within the genus Potyvirus and identified for the first time recombination events between viruses from different strain groups of SPFMV. © 2007 Springer-Verlag.