Field Evaluation of Sweet Potato Genotypes for Resistance to <i>Cylas formicarius</i>

Abstract

Sweet potato weevil Cylas formicarius is a major insect pest in Siang valley of Arunachal Pradesh which inflicts damage on the leaves, vines, and tubers as part of their normal feeding and survival habit. The study was conducted to evaluate 29 local genotypes of Northeast India, along with two commercial cultivars, Sree Bhadra and ST-14, for their relative susceptibility to pest. Sweet potato weevil and grasshopper incidence on the vines were lowest in CHFSP-10, while thrips infestations was lowest in CHFSP-07. In terms of tuber incidence, the genotypes CHFSP-10, CHFSP-14and CHFSP-15 performed better against C. formicarius. The substantially decreased sensitivity of CHFSP-10, CHFSP-14 and CHFSP-15 to sweet potato weevil indicates the feasibility of using them in varietal development to improve breeding programmes.