A cross-sectional study of pesticide use and knowledge of smallholder potato farmers in Uganda.

This study sought to promote proper and safe pesticide-handling practices by providing data needed to guide pesticide regulation policy and training for extension staff and farmers. A household survey was conducted in three major potato-growing agroecological zones of Uganda. Two hundred and four potato farmers were interviewed about the type and source of pesticides they use in potato cultivation, the frequency of applications, the use of protective clothing, and cases of pesticide poisoning

Pest Status of Acraea acerata Hew. and Cylas spp. in sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.) and incidence of natural enemies in the Lake Albert Crescent agro-ecological zone of Uganda.

The present study presents the results of farmers’ field surveys of the sweetpotato butterfly, Acraea acerata Hew., and the two African sweetpotato weevils, Cylas puncticollis Boheman and C. brunneus F. infestation and damage. The objectives of this study were to determine (i) occurrence and distribution of A. acerata and Cylas spp. as well as infestation and losses in sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.), and (ii) the occurrence and abundance of parasitoids of A. acerata in the Lake Albert Crescent (LAC) agro-ecological zone of Uganda. Field surveys were conducted in 240 sweetpotato fields in eight subcounties in Masindi and Buliisa districts at the end of each of the two cropping seasons of 2012 (March to May and September to November). A. acerata and Cylas spp. occurred in 17% and 90% of the fields, respectively. A. acerata did not occur in two subcounties of Buliisa district. A. acerata infestation was low, with up to two and four larvae per plant in the first and second cropping season, respectively, causing minor defoliation of up to 4.1% of the sweetpotato plant. Larvae of Cylas spp. caused root yield losses of up to 56.5% and 47.5% in the first and second cropping seasons, respectively. Parasitism rates of A. acerata larvae ranged from 0.0% to 15.1% in season 1 and 0.0% to 6.3% in season 2. Out of a total of 1020 larvae collected, 8.43% were found to be parasitized. Parasitoids occurred in 56% of fields infested by its host. Charops spp. was the main parasitoid. It was evident that Cylas spp. were more prevalent than A. acerata in the LAC agro-ecological zone of Uganda. Conservation of A. acerata natural enemies may contribute to better management of this pest. Urgent attention for management of Cylas spp. is required

Efecto de materiales inertes de formulas bioinsecticidas en la proteccion de tuberculos almacenados contra las polillas de papa.

En las zonas productoras de papa (Solanum tuberosum Linneo) del Perú, dos especies de polilla de la papa están presentes: Phthorimaea operculella Zeller (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) y Symmetrischema tangolias Gyen (Gelechiidae). Para contrarrestar sus efectos dañinos, los productores de papa espolvorean sus tubérculos almacenados con materiales inertes o fórmulas en talco a base del granulovirus que ataca a P. operculella (PoGV). El objetivo de esta investigación fue determinar el efecto protector de materiales inertes (talco, caolín, cal y arena), aplicados a tubérculos de papa, contra larvas de ambas especies y definir la dosis óptima de aplicación. Los tubérculos de papa (cv. “Peruanita”) impregnados con estos materiales a una dosis de 5 g/kg de papa (experimento 1) y diferentes dosis: 0,625; 1,25; 2,5; 5; 10 y 15 g/kg de papa (experimento 2) se inocularon por separado con larvas neonatales de ambas especies e incubaron a 25°C (P. operculella) y 20°C (S. tangolias). La comparación de potencias obtenidas por regresión Probit demostraron que el talco ejerce significativamente mayor actividad letal sobre ambas especies y que S. tangolias es más susceptible que P. operculella. Incrementos en la dosis de talco, caolín, y cal elevan los índices de mortalidad con pendientes paralelas entre si en ambas especies, sin embargo, aun con la máxima dosis aplicable de talco (15 g/kg) no se protegen por completo los tubérculos. Una dosis de talco de 5 g/kg de papa (equivalente a las aplicaciones con fórmula de PoGV en talco), produce mortalidades de 47% (P. operculella) y 66% (S. tangolias), pudiendo incrementarse a 6 g/kg de papa. Ambas resultan óptimas según los niveles de control esperados, sus costos y la actividad del patógeno en caso de fórmulas