The Ministry of Agriculture’s Extension and Advisory Division conducted a sweet potato field training exercise for farmers in District 5 west and District 5 east in agricultural Region Two on Wednesday, 31st August 2022.
Mr Donawa Jackson coordinated the field training exercise, Agricultural Extension Officers Mr Alston Lynch and Miss Shamika Grant, and CARDI country representative Mr Gregory Linton provided technical support.
The objectives of the sweet potato field training exercise were to examine the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices to control two pests of economic importance, sweet potato Weevil and White Grub and to establish a sweet potato evaluation plot to assess seven sweet potato cultivars’ resistance and tolerance against the sweet potato Weevil and White Grub.
Over the course of the crop, the established sweet potato evaluation plot will be used to train farmers and evaluate recommended Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices, such as:
(1) Proper field sanitation,
(2) Crop rotation,
(3) Selection of planting materials,
(4)Treatment of planting materials using recommended insecticides,
(5) Planting of resistant and tolerant cultivars, and
(6) Monitoring of the field for pests and diseases and treatment of the field.
