Abstract
Cassava (Manihot esculenta) is an important food crop across sub-Saharan Africa, where production is severely inhibited by two viral diseases, cassava mosaic disease (CMD) and cassava brown streak disease (CBSD), both propagated by a whitefly vector and via human-mediated movement of infected cassava stems. There is limited information on growers' behavior related to movement of planting material, as well as growers' perception and awareness of cassava diseases, despite the importance of these factors for disease control. This study surveyed a total of 96 cassava subsistence growers and their fields across five provinces in Zambia between 2015 and 2017 to address these knowledge gaps. CMD symptoms were observed in 81.6% of the fields, with an average incidence of 52% across the infected fields. No CBSD symptoms were observed. Most growers used planting materials from their own (94%) or nearby (<10 km) fields of family and friends, although several large transactions over longer distances (10 to 350 km) occurred with friends (15 transactions), markets (1), middlemen (5), and nongovernmental organizations (6). Information related to cassava diseases and certified clean (disease-free) seed reached only 48% of growers. The most frequent sources of information related to cassava diseases included nearby friends, family, and neighbors, while extension workers were the most highly preferred source of information. These data provide a benchmark on which to plan management approaches to controlling CMD and CBSD, which should include clean propagation material, increasing growers' awareness of the diseases, and increasing information provided to farmers (specifically disease symptom recognition and disease management options).[Formula: see text] Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY 4.0 International license.
Highlights
Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is a perennial shrub of the Euphorbiaceae family, native toSouth America (Allem 2002; Olsen and Schaal 2001) and cultivated as a tuberous crop in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide
The study was conducted in five provinces of Zambia: Western, Luapula, Central, Northern, and Eastern (Fig. 1), which are among the major cassava growing areas and at the time of the survey were known to have cassava mosaic disease (CMD) infections present, with cassava brown streak disease (CBSD) infections confirmed in neighbouring Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, and the DRC (Gondwe et al 2003; Hillocks et al 2001; Mangana 2003; Mulimbi et al 2012)
Cassava virus diseases constitute a major constraint to the production of cassava in sub-Saharan Africa, yet there have been few studies looking into some of the key aspects of human-mediated disease spread and control
Summary
South America (Allem 2002; Olsen and Schaal 2001) and cultivated as a tuberous crop in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide It can be propagated by either stem cuttings or seed, where the former is by far the most common (Alves 2002). In Zambia, cassava is one of the most important food crops after maize, and the primary staple in northern parts of the country (Chitundu et al 2009; Szyniszewska 2020). It is the mainstay for an estimated 30% of the country’s population (Simwambana 2005), consumed throughout the year in Western, North Western, Luapula and Northern provinces. Cassava is propagated using cuttings – pieces of harvested cassava stem
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