Abstract
Potato has lived with several diseases and insect pests such as late blight and potato tuber moth for several decades. However, newly emerging insect pest known by the name 'mealybugs' is recorded as a new threat for potato production in the highlands of Arsi, Southeast Ethiopia. This pest has never been observed in the area in the history of potato culture in which potato has been grown for many years. Therefore, awareness creation should be the primary step by which any respective stakeholders including potato growers, research institutions, ministry of agriculture; NGOS, etc. are informed about the importance of the pest. This will help to look for appropriate management options and take the necessary precautions before the pest becomes important in other areas in the country.
Highlights
Potato is dominantly produced in all Arsi highland areas in Tiyo district - Kulumsa PA from crop land of 43.6% [1] In addition to the 'Belg' season, farmers in the area produce potatoes in the rainy season because of the increasing demand of the crop, and to maximize the productivity of the land per unit area due to the subsequent decrease of the average farm land size
About 30-50% of the annual potato production is lost after harvest because of poor farm- and village-level storage system [4]
Since seed tubers are the basis for potato plant and determines the productivity of the crop, it has to be healthy and free from insect infestation such as Mealybugs
Summary
Potato is dominantly produced in all Arsi highland areas in Tiyo district - Kulumsa PA from crop land of 43.6% [1] In addition to the 'Belg' season, farmers in the area produce potatoes in the rainy season because of the increasing demand of the crop, and to maximize the productivity of the land per unit area due to the subsequent decrease of the average farm land size. The leading problems associated with the very low yield are lack of improved varieties and use of inferior quality seed tubers of unknown origin, high disease incidence (mainly late blight), insect damage such as Potato Tuber Moth (PTM), lack of proper crop management practices, inappropriate storage structure, poor seed system and poor research-extension linkage [3]. About 30-50% of the annual potato production is lost after harvest because of poor farm- and village-level storage system [4] The prevalence of those production constraints mentioned above have contributed to the low productivity of the crop in Arsi highlands including Kulumsa until the introduction of improved production technologies such as improved varieties and production technologies through the research system.
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