Assessments of Sweet potato Virus Disease and Influence of Mulching and Organic Insecticide on Sweet Potato Varieties in Kwara State of Nigeria

T H Aliyu,O Arogundade,B H Taiwo,J Popoola,E K Eifediyi,L K Olatinwo

doi:10.4038/jfa.v13i2.5229

Abstract

Assessments of 30 sweet potato farms in three districts of Kwara State of Nigeria were carried out to evaluate the incidence of sweet potato virus disease (SPVD). A serological study by Antigen-coated plate enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ACP-ELISA) was set up to assay six viruses on sweet potato samples. A field experiment to appraise the influence of variety, mulch and organic insecticide on virus incidence was performed on two genetically improved sweet potato varieties. The surveys revealed the occurrence of SPVD in all locations with incidence from 2.6% in Oyun (Kwara Central district) to 39.1% in Agbamu (Kwara South district). The serology test confirmed the predominance of Sweet potato feathery mottle virus (SPFMV) and Sweet potato chlorotic stunt virus (SPCSV) correspondingly as 100% and 30% respectively in the study. The field experiment indicated lower virus disease incidence (15.3%) and increased numbers in storage roots (7.5/plant) and weight of storage roots (32.4 kg/plant) in Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato variety, mulched with organic insecticidal treatment. This is the first authentication of the occurrence and prevalence of sweet potato virus disease in Kwara State, Nigeria. The study recommends Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato variety, mulching with guinea corn stalk and organic insecticide application for sustainable management of SPVD, particularly for resource-poor farmers.

Highlights

Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L) is among the most important food crops in the world and an extremely important food crop for subsistence farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)
Vitamin A deficiency is especially prevalent in SSA because most available foods contain negligible amounts of ß– carotene, a precursor of vitamin A (Yessoufou et al, 2016) whereas white to yellow-fleshed sweet potatoes have been reported to contain little or no Vitamin A; the orange-fleshed sweet potato cultivars contain good quantities of Vitamin A, predominantly as β carotene (Karuppanagounder, 2008)
The result of the survey on the incidence of viruses on sweet potato in 3 districts of Kwara state (Table 1) showed that the highest virus incidence was in Kwara South district

Summary

Introduction

Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L) is among the most important food crops in the world and an extremely important food crop for subsistence farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). It is a vegetatively propagated vegetable and ranks as the world’s seventh most important crop, with an estimated annual production of approximately 122 million metric tons (Wau and Komolong, 2019). Sweet potato is especially valued because it is highly adaptable, and tolerates high temperatures, low fertility soil and drought (Yamakawa and Yoshimoto, 2002). In Africa, sweet potato cultivars commonly have white, cream or yellow flesh; while few are orange-fleshed cultivars. Vitamin A deficiency is especially prevalent in SSA because most available foods contain negligible amounts of ß– carotene, a precursor of vitamin A (Yessoufou et al, 2016) whereas white to yellow-fleshed sweet potatoes have been reported to contain little or no Vitamin A; the orange-fleshed sweet potato cultivars contain good quantities of Vitamin A, predominantly as β carotene (Karuppanagounder, 2008)

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion