Three hundred sixty six sweet potato plant accessions of the Sweet potato Germplasm Bank of Embrapa Hortaliças (Brazil) were evaluated in the field for resistance to the Wireworm-Diabrotica-Systena (WDS) pest complex: Diabrotica spp., Conoderus sp., Epitrix sp., and West Indian sweet potato weevil, Euscepes postfaciatus. About 21% of all plant accessions showed high resistance to chrysomelids and elaterids. Seven clones, among them CNPH 005, CNPH 026 and CNPH 258 were more resistant than the standard resistant commercial cultivar Brazlândia Roxa. These sweet potato accessions and CNPH 088, CNPH 295, CNPH 314 and CNPH 318, were the most promising sources of resistance against the West Indian sweet potato weevil because they had 7% or less, of their roots damaged by Euscepes postfasciatus, compared to commercial cultivars Brazlândia Branca (23.3%) and Princesa (53.3%). The application of these results in an integrated control of sweet potato pests approach is discussed.
Ipomoea batatas; Chrysomelidae; Elateridae; Diabrotica spp; Conoderus sp; Epitrix sp; Euscepes postfasciatus; sweet potato; West Indian sweet potato weevil; host plant resistance; soil insects; integrated pest management
