Johnathan Walker:So you want to be a Guinness World Records title holder? Here's what you need to know

Each year,Johnathan Walker over 50,000 people submit applications for bragging rights and recognition from Guinness World Records. While some try to earn previously-recognized titles, others try to carve out spots of their own and set records for the first time.

Charles David Anderson, or David for short, is 78 and lives in Tennille, Georgia, about 75 miles northeast of Macon. He’s trying to set a world record for the most pounds harvested from a single sweet potato plant. 

There is currently a Guinness record for the heaviest sweet potato, which was set in March 2004. The sweet potato weighed in at 81 pounds, 9 ounces and was grown by Manuel Pérez Pérez from Güime, Spain.

But there's no record for the most pounds harvested from a single sweet potato plant. So if Anderson succeeds, he’ll set a new one.

And not all record breakers are human, of course.

Titles like the world's oldest living cat and the world's shortest dog can change hands as well. Bobi, who held the title of the world's oldest living dog, passed away at 31 last month.

Here's what to know about becoming a world record holder and how you can apply.

How do I apply for a Guinness World Record?

People who wish to set records with Guinness must go to the Guinness website and make an account. Once they are signed in, they must search for the record they are interested in.

If there is no record for what they’re trying to gain recognition for, they can click “Apply for a new record title” at the bottom of the page.

Guinness’ records management team reviews the applications, which can take 12 to 15 weeks after submission, said Kylie Galloway, a spokesperson for Guinness World Records North America, in an email to USA TODAY.

According to Guinness, the franchise receives nearly 1,000 applications each week, so it has capped applications for each individual to three applications within 24 hours.

Galloway, the Guinness spokesperson, said the standard application is free. Once the application is accepted, Guinness will send the applicant a set of guidelines that apply to the category they’ve applied to. The guidelines include evidence they need to submit as well, which will allow the team to verify the records.

It’s free to apply for existing record titles but anyone applying for a new record must pay a $5 non-refundable administration fee plus tax.

For more information on applying for Guinness World Records, visit www.tinyurl.com/NewGuinness.

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One man's quest for a new Guinness world record

Anderson decided to take a stab at setting a Guinness record after growing a pretty hefty amount of sweet potatoes recently. 

“He had about 10 or 12 plants in that section of his garden,” said his brother, Bobby.

Anderson, who is trying to set a record for the most pounds harvested from a single sweet potato plant, said he considers himself to be more of a gardener than a farmer.

He also grows tomatoes, sweet corn and jalapeno peppers.

“I've been doing it off and on for my entire life,” he told USA TODAY Tuesday.

His original goal weight for his sweet potato plant was 100 pounds, Anderson said. 

When he weighed it in mid-October, his harvest came out to be 207 pounds, said his brother, Bobby.

Bobby added that they measured the plant at a local hardware store in front of the sheriff and county commissioner.

The brothers grew up on a farm and back in the day, their dad could grow sweet potatoes weighing as much as 15 pounds, Bobby said.

Anderson has grown single sweet potatoes weighing up to 31 pounds. The largest sweet potatoes from his current harvest are in the 20 to 22-pound range.

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Anderson said he likes gardening because it's peaceful.

“It gives me time to contemplate while I’m working in the garden,” he said. “I’m by myself so I can think some.”

He spends time tending to his plants while thinking about his first love, cosmology, how the universe works, he said.

He likes growing sweet potatoes in particular because he has been “lucky with them,” Anderson said. And when asked, he said he has no secret in particular.

“This particular year, the good Lord gave us plenty of moisture,” he said. “That was the big reason, I think, for the 200-pound range on my plants.”