Pests and diseases that affect the cultivation of sweet potatoes
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The sweet potato is a tuber that has many properties and benefits for our body, but its cultivation can be affected by some pests and diseases that could degrade its quality. For this reason, it is convenient to know what we are facing when we observe some damage in the plant.
Among the pests that affect this crop we have:
Black donut: is a caterpillar that feeds on the stem and leaves of plants. This pest remains inactive during the day and shows more activity during the night. Generally it attacks the inner part of the leaves, only for the damages it is possible to detect this plague.
Worm wire: this is a pest that can cause significant damage to the cultivation of the sweet potato. The adult appears as a species of beetle that has a hard, elongated and slightly flattened appearance. They can be yellow, gray, brown or black. Its size varies between 3 and 15 mm. The female lays her eggs in moist soil and the incubation period varies from 7 to 30 days. The larvae are elongated and a little flattened. These have some legs (3pares) underdeveloped. The pupae are on the ground.
These worms damage the roots, seeds, tubers or seedlings. In the tubers they usually appear in the period of maturity and make roads within them that obviously affect the tuber.
Soil nematodes: produce cysts and lesions in the tubers. They are very small and cylindrical worms. They like the places where water abounds. They feed on the plant, especially in its larval phase. These have a very fine beak that they use to absorb plant nutrients. By doing this, they create a form of nodules and thicken the roots that do not allow an adequate absorption of nutrients by the plant.
The diseases that affect the sweet potato we have:
Fusariu oxysporum Schlecht: this disease causes the plants to acquire a yellowish color and rot the roots of the plant.
Sweet potato mummification: this disease is caused by a fungus called Monilichaetes infuscans. This produces reddish and irregular spots and occasionally some cracks in the skin.
Blackroot of the sweet potato: it is also caused by a fungus. This is typical of nurseries and warehouses. It produces dark brown spots on the sweet potato.
Being informed will be the best ally to be successful in cultivation.
Thanks for sharing this post, we @farms has indeed learnt from this post and we would be able to control pest and diseases.
Resteem
This must be a great disfilcultad in agriculture.
It is so sad to know that sweet potatoes is attacked by this number of diseases. Any natural remedies@yeceniacarolina?
@manka
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