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Sweet Potato Weevil
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Courtesy EcoPort (http://www.ecoport.org): Georg Goergen,
Is this a Minor Pest?
Yes
Minor Pest Title
Sweet potato weevil (Alcidodes erronus)
Minor Pest Description
The sweet potato weevil is the most destructive insect pest of sweet potato in the tropics and subtropics. No resistant source is available.
Farmer experience: In Kilifi, Kenya, farmers create planting mounds or ridges incorporating a good amount of fresh leaves of Lantana camara before planting sweet potatoes. This improves soil organic matter and at the same time serves as a repellent of the sweet potato weevil, thus improving both yield and quality of harvested tubers. The superior quality of sweet potatoes grown using Lantana leaves have been confirmed by Ministry of Agriculture staff in the area.
Minor Pest What to do.
- Rotation with cereals and forage crops.
- Eradicate Ipomoea weeds.
- Use clean planting material, deep planting and regular hilling to fill soil cracks around plants.
- Flood to drown the weevils.
- Hill up to prevent or fill soil cracks.
- Irrigate to prevent soil cracks
- Mulch to keep the soil moist and prevent cracks, and provide a more favourable environment for natural enemies.
Minor Pest Position
1
Minor Pest Firstcontent
126
Pest Type
insect
Other Crops
(Minor host plants: Coffee, maize, cowpea, sesame)
Host Plants
Sweet potato
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