Identifying and managing plant health risks for key African crops: cassava

Muaka Toko, Peter Neuenschwander, J. Steve Yaninek, Alejandro Ortega-Beltran, André Fanou, Victor Zinsou, Kerstin D. Wydra, Rachid Hanna, Appolin Fotso, Ouorou Douro-Kpindou

• Publisher: Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing
• Year: 2019
• ISBN:
  9781838797546
• Topic: Technologie et ingénierie
• Subtopic: Agriculture durable

The long history of cassava as a hardy crop, relatively free from diseases and pests' attacks, ended in the 1970s when the cassava mealybug Phenacoccus manihoti and the cassava green mite Mononychellus tanajoa invaded Africa and devastated the crop to the point of wiping it out as was the case with P. manihoti, while losses from cassava bacterial blight caused hunger in some regions. Before these invasions, a dozen arthropods and four common diseases, some causing significant yield losses, had been recorded on cassava. This chapter considers the cases of P. manihoti, M. tanajoa, Stictococcus vayssierei, Zonocerus variegatus and four main diseases: cassava bacterial blight, cassava anthracnose, cassava leaf spots and cassava root and stem rots (the viral diseases being treated in Chapter 5 of this book). This narrow selection is justified, as proven control methods – biological, cultural and resistance breeding – can be adapted to control other cassava pests.

Table of contents

• 1 Introduction
• 2 The management of insect pests
• 3 Identifying and managing cassava diseases
• 4 Conclusion and future trends
• 5 Where to look for further information
• 6 References