Assessment of Mango Pests, Diseases and Orchard Management Practices in West Nile Zone of Uganda

Abstract

Exotic mango varieties can improve the livelihood security and increase profitability of mango growers in Uganda. There are however, several factors like pests, diseases and orchard management practices which limit mango production and productivity. The study sought to investigate farmers' knowledge and perceptions of mango pests and diseases and orchard management practices in West Nile zone (WNZ) of Uganda. Farmers growing exotic mango varieties were selected from six districts namely, Arua, Maracha, Koboko, Yumbe, Moyo and Nebbi in WNZ. Both purposive and simple random sampling techniques were used to identify 90 respondents who were interviewed with a semi structured questionnaire. The data was analyzed both descriptively and inferentially. Chi square tests were used to analyze farmers' perception on pests and diseases. Multinomial logit was used to analyze factors influencing choice of orchard management practices. The results showed a significant variation in perception of farmers on incidence, severity and yield loss due to various pests (fruit flies, seed borer, termites, scales and mealy bugs) and, diseases (anthracnose, bacterial black spot, powdery mildew, algal leaf spot and sooty mould). Farmers' choice to take a particular management practice like pruning, spraying, manuring and mulching were influenced by age of mangoes, extension service, education level and sex. It was concluded that many pests and diseases of exotic mangoes existed in WNZ and sound scientific orchard management practices were still lacking among the mango farmers. The study recommended awareness creation on various mango pests and diseases, and capacity enhancement of farmers and extension staff on scientific orchard management practices.

Mango Yield Performance in Lake Victoria Cresent Region of Uganda

“…In India, the average yield stands at 11.7 ton•ha −1 [5] while in Uganda mango yields are still below 5.8 ton•ha −1 [4]. This is partly due to low yielding local mango cultivars which are traditionally grown by farmers with little or no improved management practices [6]. Additionally, most of the local mango cultivars are high in fibre content which makes them less attractive for processing and export market [7].…”