Draft:Taro pests and diseases
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Pests and diseases[edit]
PESTS[edit]
The most significant taro pests are the taro beetles, the taro leafhopper, aphids, the taro hawkmoth and the apple snails. The taro beetles (Papuana spp. and Eucopidocaulus spp.) are one of the most serious production constraints to taro yield and quality. The beetles breed in the soil, the adults burrow into corms, making smooth-sided tunnels the diameter of their body width. Taro leafhopper (Tarophagus proserpina) is one of the main vectors of the Alomae–Bobone virus complex - the adults and nymphs can also cause severe damage by sucking sap from leaf blades and petioles. Aphids (Aphis spp., Pemphigus sp.) are the vectors of the various viral diseases which affect taro. The taro root aphid (Patchiella reaumuri) is a serious pest of upland taro - it sucks the sap from taro roots and greatly reduces plant vigour, yield and corm quality. The hawkmoth (Hippotion celerio L.) is an occasional pest of taro which can cause severe defoliation. The snails cause considerable damage by feeding on all parts of the plant. Hand picking the snail from taro patches and destroying their eggs is possible as well as Cayuga ducks who are very effective predators.
There are also fungus, bacteria, viruses and nematodes. Several species of nematodes may cause significant yield losses (i.e. Aphelenchoides spp., Helicotylenchus spp.[1]) and cause mitimiti disease. Their attacks are characterized by galls on the root and swelling and malformations on the corm. Bacterial soft rot is a disease caused by E. carotovora and E. chrysanthemi. This rot produces a strong-smelling, watery soft rot, ranging in colour from white to dark blue. Taro leaf blight (TLB) is caused by the fungus Phytophthora colocasiae and is considered to be the most destructive disease of taro leaves - reduces leaf area available for photosynthesis, as well as the number of functioning leaves.[2] The most common viral disease of taro is dasheen mosaic virus (DsMV), which is distributed worldwide and can reduce the corm yield per plant by up to 60% by reducing its photosynthetic rate. The leaves of affected plants are characterized by a feathery mosaic pattern along the veins. The most dangerous viral taro disease is Colocasia bobone disease virus (CBDV). When the taro bacilliform virus (TaBV) combines with CBDV, it causes Alomae disease. The symptom is crinkling of the young leaves, which fail to develop - plants are often stunted and then die.
PEST AND DISEASE MANAGEMENT[edit]
The efficient remedy against viruses is uprooting the infected plants and destroying them. Crop rotations, fallow management with appropriate cover crops and proper planting material management are the essential compounds of integrated pest management (IPM).[3] Special emphasis is given to the natural predators and parasites in traditional agrosystems, rather than the use of pesticides. Proper fallow management is seen as a practical solution to manage pest populations, especially of Papuana spp., but also of nematodes.[4]
- ^ Fact sheet for the Hawaii Geothermal Project (HGP), University of Hawaii (Report). Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI). 1975-11-22. doi:10.2172/5716025.
- ^ Cox, P. G.; Kasimani, C. (1988). "Control of taro leaf blight using metalaxyl". Tropical Pest Management. 34 (1): 81–84. doi:10.1080/09670878809371214. ISSN 0143-6147.
- ^ Lebot, Vincent (July 1992). "Genetic Vulnerability of Oceania's Traditional Crops". Experimental Agriculture. 28 (3): 309–323. doi:10.1017/S0014479700019906. ISSN 1469-4441. S2CID 85967239.
- ^ Lebot, V., ed. (2020). Tropical root and tuber crops: cassava, sweet potato, yams and aroids. Wallingford: CABI. doi:10.1079/9781789243369.0000. ISBN 978-1-78924-336-9. S2CID 90953648.