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. 2019 Oct 16;9(1):14860.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-50521-5.

Organic mulches reduce crop attack by sweetpotato weevil (Cylas formicarius)

Mudassir Rehman  1 , Jian Liu  1   2 , Anne C Johnson  1   2 , Taiwo Esther Dada  1 , Geoff M Gurr  3   4   5   6   7
Affiliations

Organic mulches reduce crop attack by sweetpotato weevil (Cylas formicarius)

Mudassir Rehman et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

Mulching with organic materials is a management practice with long history for weed suppression, soil water conservation and erosion control. Its potential impact on crop pests is less well explored. Here we report its utility for reducing crop damage by the serious pest, sweetpotato weevil (Cylas formicarius). Laboratory bioassays measured the response of adult female weevils to sweetpotato storage roots beneath mulches of fresh or dried plant materials. Weevils were significant repelled by fresh basil, catnip, basil lime and dry eucalyptus, cypress, lucerne and sugarcane. A subsequent field study found that mulches of dry cypress, eucalyptus and lucerne reduced movement of weevils from a release point to reach sweetpotato plants and lowered level of damage to storage roots. Results demonstrate that mulching with organic materials merits further testing as part of the integrated management of sweetpotato weevil, particularly to protect developing storage roots during dry periods when soil cracking can facilitate access by pests.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Illustration of multiple-choice test field design. Each block was 2 m in diameter with a central release point for weevils, surrounded by one plot of each mulch treatment. Plots each contained three sweetpotato plants illustrated in solid circles, one in the inner ring and two in the outer ring.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Effect of mulch materials in protecting sweetpotato storage root (Control covered by potting mix) (laboratory screening of mulches). (*means p < 0.05 when compared to control within the group; **means p < 0.01 when compared to control within the group).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Effect of mulch materials in protecting sweetpotato storage root (Control uncovered by potting mix) (laboratory screening of mulches). (*means p < 0.05 when compared to control within the group; ** means p < 0.01 when compared to control within the group).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Effect of mulch on weevils’ movement towards sweetpotato foliage at initial assessment in the field test.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Effect of mulch on weevils’ movement towards sweetpotato storage root at initial assessment in the field test.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Effect of mulch on weevils’ feeding damage on sweetpotato storage root at initial assessment in the field test.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Effect of mulch on weevils’ movement towards sweetpotato storage root at 2nd assessment in the field test.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Effect of mulch on weevils’ feeding damage on sweetpotato storage root at 2nd assessment in the field test.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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