Sweet Potato Vine Pests

The sweet potato weevil is a serious pest in the field and in storage.

Sweet potato vine pests. I bought 4 ornamental sweet potato vines and over the last 2 weeks they have become the meal of some bugs. The sweet potato whitefly can drain the plant of nutrients and stunt its growth. One of the greatest threats to sweetpotato production is the sweetpotato weevil. Sweet potato ipomoea batatas is an herbaceous perennial in the family convolvulaceae grown for its edible storage roots.

Even low numbers of larvae reduce sweet potato quality and marketable yield. It s driving me mad mad. The sweet potato weevil is one of the most destructive sweet potato vine pests notes the international potato center. The white legless larvae have brown heads and measure 1.

But the holes kept on coming lol when i went to the local nursery i saw that their sweet potato vines had the holes. So i asked them what was causing the holes and i was told it was an annoying pest call the flea beetle. The sweet potato plant is a branching creeeping vine with spirally arranged lobed heart shaped leaves and white or lavender flowers. Depending on where you live there are a couple other pests that feast on sweet potato vines.

Usually less that 1 10 inch long the adult beetles infest sweet potato vines in. Possible insect problems include sweet potato looper whitefly aphids thrips slugs flea beetles and weevils. The plant has enlarged roots called tubers which act as an energy store for the plant. Adults feed directly on vines and larvae tunnel into the roots causing extensive damage both in field and storage.

Sweet potato weevils are most numerous close to the soil surface. So i thought it was slugs sprinkled snail slug bait around them. You might want to check to see if they are in your area. The adult weevil feeds on all parts of the plant but reproduces only in the stems and roots.

Some leaves have been eaten so much that they are practically gone now. Long hind legs for jumping give metallic bronze or black potato flea beetles their name. Overwatering and poor drainage can cause fungal problems such as fusarium wilt root rot or tuber rot. When kept healthy plants are resistant to most pests and diseases.

In some areas sweet potato weevils may pose problems as well.