D3277: Insect pests of the sweet potatoes and their management in Florida and Brazil

The sweet potatoes are extensively grown many parts of the world including Florida and Brazil. The tubers are highly nutritional food source with a growing market and recognized for its contribution to food security. The health of sweet potato plants is affected by various insects that can cause damage to cultivated crop in the open field and storage. The extent of this damage varies depending on the species, the size of the pest, and the location. This study reports pest species on sweet potatoes in Florida and compare them with pests that attack this crop in Brazil. Species of pests attacking, types of attacks on aerial and root parts, levels of damage, and distribution within and among fields will be observed, along with natural enemies. In Brazil, 13 pests were identified in sweet potatoes, one for the roots and 12 for the aerial part. Three are sap-sucking insects within the Order Coleoptera and Family Chrysomelidae, five defoliating caterpillars, and a leaf-mining micro-Lepidoptera. In Florida the major pest of sweet potatoes is sweetpotato weevil (SPW) (Coleoptera: Brentidae) that damages this commercial crop in the field and storage. Other insect pests and their natural enemies are being investigated in the Florida panhandle.