Strategies of maintaining sweetpotato nurseries free from insect vectors that spread sweetpotato virus disease

Abstract

Sweetpotato is a food security crop for smallholder farmers in East Africa especially during natural disasters, civil unrest or severe economic hardships. Pest and disease constraints are the most important biotic stresses and viral diseases are the most limiting diseases. Lack of clean planting sweetpotato vines is a major constraint in sweetpotato production and most farmers establish a new crop from virus infected volunteer plants or an old sweetpotato crop hence high initial disease inoculum levels. An experiment was set up inorder to identify a package that would be sustainable in maintenance of healthy planting vines. Experimental design used was randomised complete block design. Treatments included polythene, net, maize, spray, rouging and control. It was found that there was a significant different (P=0.05) among different means in entire sampling period. Net and polythene managed whiteflies successfully. Polythene use was termed as the appropriate technique to manage whiteflies. The reason is because polythene is relatively cheap compared to chemical sprays with insecticides and net.