Impacts of Technology Interventions on Managing Fusarium Wilt in Sweetpotato in Bauko, Mountain Province

Abstract

Fusarium wilt of sweetpotato caused by Fusarium oxysporum is considered one of the most destructive sweetpotato diseases. This disease has severely damaged sweetpotato crops, particularly in Mountain Province, Benguet, and Nueva Vizcaya causing an average of 51-100% yield reduction of sweetpotato. Of this, the NPRCRTC distributed about 76,824 pcs of quality planting materials (vine cuttings) as a quick response initiative from July 2016–June 2017 in Bauko, Mountain Province. Thus, this impact assessment was conducted to identify interventions introduced and adopted and to document and determine outcomes and economic impact of the interventions using descriptive analysis and a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods. A total of 42 respondents were interviewed through group interviews and discussions. Interventions in managing Fusarium wilt that revived the sweetpotato industry include farm demonstrations on the use of Trichoderma harzianum, lime, and combined chicken and hog manure; evaluation of sweetpotato entries for resistance to the disease; and conduct of training on organic fertilizer and sweetpotato processing, and tissue culture-derived plant materials of sweetpotato with different resistant varieties. Sweetpotato growers in Lagawa, Bauko, Mountain Province still lacked sufficient knowledge about the disease to implement the proper management approaches to support effective Fusarium wilt management practices. Adopting the resistant varieties, and using Trichoderma and organic fertilizer had at least produced a yield for home consumption. Using these interventions also reduced the infestation of Fusarium wilt on their crop, but still low due to limited access to reliable sources of planting material. The adoption of approaches to manage Fusarium wilt among sweetpotato growers has provided insight into the status of the disease in the community.