Technique of re-hilling sweetpotato mounds to reduce Cylas spp. weevil infestation and improve sweetpotato yield in Soroti district, North Eastern Uganda

Abstract

Cylas brunneus and C. puncticollis (Coleoptera: Apionidae) are the economic pests of sweetpotato in Uganda and contribute to low crop yield and quality. On-farm work was done in Soroti district, a major sweetpotato growing area, to test integrated crop management (ICM) techniques to improve yield and reduce weevil damage. Two ICM components were evaluated, that is, improved varieties and re-hilling of mounds. The latter treatment was applied to cover cracks, the entry points that weevils use for accessing storage roots. Yield of improved varieties, namely, NASPOT 1 and 1927, compared favorably with that of the control variety, Haraka. In general, re-hilling treatment resulted into significant crop yield increment and low weevil attack on most of the test materials. Results showed that spot re-hilling done when soil cracks appear was sufficient for reducing weevil infestation.