title: Pests, diseases and crop protection practices in the smallholder sweetpotato production system of the highlands of Papua New Guinea.
abstract: Sweetpotato (Ipomea batatans) is a food crop of global significance. The storage roots and foliage of crop are attacked by a wide range of pests and diseases. Whilst these are generally well controlled in developed countries using approaches such as clean planting material and monitoring with pheromone traps to guide insecticide use, research into methods suitable for developing countries has lagged. In Papua New Guinea (PNG), sweetpotato is grown extensively as a subsistence crop and commercial production as a cash crop is developing. We report results from a survey of 33 smallholder producers located in the Highlands of PNG where the crop is of particular importance. Surveys of interviewees' crops showed high levels of pest and disease impact to foliage, stems and storage roots, especially in crops that were several years old. Weevils (Curculionidae) were reportedly the most damaging pests and scab (caused by the fungusElisnoe batatus) the most damaging disease. Most producers reported root damage from the former and foliar damage from the latter but the general level of knowledge of pest and disease types was low. Despite the apparency of pest and disease signs and symptoms and recognition of their importance by farmers, a large majority of producers reported practiced no active pest or disease management. This was despite low numbers of farmers reporting use of traditional cultural practices including phytosanitary measures and insecticidal plants that had the scope for far wider use. Only one respondent reported use of insecticide though pesticides were available in nearby cities. This low level of pest and disease management in most cases, likely due to paucity in biological and technical knowledge among growers, hampers efforts to establish food security and constrains the development of sweetpotato as a cash crop.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture & Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China; Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture & Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China; Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation, Charles Sturt University, Orange, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Geoff M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Gurr
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture & Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China; Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture & Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation, Charles Sturt University , Orange , New South Wales , Australia.
authors.forename: Anne C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute, NSW Department of Primary Industries , Menangle , New South Wales , Australia.
authors.forename: Deane N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Woruba
authors.affiliation: School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland , St Lucia , Queensland , Australia.
authors.forename: Gunnar
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kirchhof
authors.affiliation: School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland , St Lucia , Queensland , Australia.
authors.forename: Ryosuke
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fujinuma
authors.affiliation: Highlands Regional Centre, National Agricultural Research Institute , Aiyura , Eastern Highlands Province , Papua New Guinea.
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Sirabis
authors.affiliation: Highlands Regional Centre, National Agricultural Research Institute , Aiyura , Eastern Highlands Province , Papua New Guinea.
authors.forename: Yapo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jeffery
authors.affiliation: National Agricultural Research Institute , Lae , Morobe Province , Papua New Guinea.
authors.forename: Ramakrishna
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Akkinapally
keywords: Biological control; Cultural control; Cylas formicarius; Elisnoe batatus; Eriophyes; Euscepes postfasciatus; Food security; Pesticide availability; Rural violence; Survey