Pest of sweet potato.

Detailed description of pest of Sweet potato and their management

1. Pests Of SWEET POTATO And Their Management

2. 1.SWEET POTATO WEEVIL S.N. - Cylas formicarius Family - Apionidae Order - Coleoptera

3. Economical importance S erious p est of sweet potato . Damage percentage - 60- 70% Host plant Specific to Sweet potato

4. Mark of Identification Grub The grub is pale yellow in color and legless . Adult  It is a wingless, ant–like steel black weevil with a brown elongated snout and thorax.

5. Sweet Potato Weevil

6. Life history Eggs -   on the tuber & stem of vines by making small cavities . Larva - L . P. – 2 -3 weeks Pupa - Pupation in larval burrows in vines. P.P - 7days. Life cycle completed - 4-5 weeks No of generation - 8-9 / year.

7. Nature of damage Grub bore into vines ( stem )& causes tunneling inside and feed on soft tissues . Grub and adults bore into tubers both field and godowns , feed on inner content & spoil them . Affected tuber develop dark patches ,which is latter start rotting . Pest is carried out one field to another through the infested vines & from season to season by breeding in tuber left over after harvest .

8. Larval feeding Larva

9. Sweet potato weevil - tuber develop dark patches

10. Management Healthy cuttings should be selected for planting After harvest of the crop ,vines should be collected and destroyed . Follow proper crop rotation . Mulching with leaves chromolaena doormats at 3 tones/ ha 30 days after planting Ear thing up at 50 days after planting

11. Install yellow sticky trap @ 12/ha Spray quinolphos 25 EC 1.5 lit in 750 lit of water . Dip planting materials in monocrotophos 36 WSC 15 ml /lit of water. In godowns treat with malathion 5 % OR carbaryl % dust Fungi – Beveria basssiana , Metarizium anisopliae

12. 2. Sweet potato leaf eating caterpillar / Sweet potato hornworm ,/ Convolvulus hawk moth/ Sphinx caterpillar S.N. - Agrius convolvuli Family - Sphingidae Order - Lepidoptera

13. Sweet potato leaf eating caterpillar

14. Economical importance Important pest ,It causes economic losses Host plant Potato , sweet potato , G reen gram, Black gram

15. Mark of Identification Adult P ale gray colored with black pointed head Caterpillar Dark brown with radish patches on sides & sharp curved horn at tail end

16. Life history Eggs - Seed like laid singly on leaves. Larva - L.P. - 2-3 Weeks Pupa - in soil Life cycle completed - 4-15 weeks. S.O. - Pest active in monsoon Pest hibernate in pupal stage .

17. caterpillar Adult Pupa

18. Nature Of Damage The caterpillar feeds on leaves voraciously In case of severe infestation defoliate the plant.

19. Control Measures Collection and destruction of caterpillar Ploughing the field after harvest to expose the pupa Dusting with 10 % carbaryl .