Sweet Potato Vine Pests

Usually less that 1 10 inch long the adult beetles infest sweet potato vines in.

Sweet potato vine pests.

In some areas sweet potato weevils may pose problems as well. Sweet potato ipomoea batatas is an herbaceous perennial in the family convolvulaceae grown for its edible storage roots. So i asked them what was causing the holes and i was told it was an annoying pest call the flea beetle. One of the greatest threats to sweetpotato production is the sweetpotato weevil.

Overwatering and poor drainage can cause fungal problems such as fusarium wilt root rot or tuber rot. Adults feed directly on vines and larvae tunnel into the roots causing extensive damage both in field and storage. Almost all of the leaves are full of holes and many are also missing huge chunks. The sweet potato whitefly can drain the plant of nutrients and stunt its growth.

You might want to check to see if they are in your area. So i thought it was slugs sprinkled snail slug bait around them. Even low numbers of larvae reduce sweet potato quality and marketable yield. I bought 4 ornamental sweet potato vines and over the last 2 weeks they have become the meal of some bugs.

Possible insect problems include sweet potato looper whitefly aphids thrips slugs flea beetles and weevils. Depending on where you live there are a couple other pests that feast on sweet potato vines. When kept healthy plants are resistant to most pests and diseases. The weevil attacks all parts of the plant.

It s driving me mad mad. The sweet potato plant is a branching creeeping vine with spirally arranged lobed heart shaped leaves and white or lavender flowers. But the holes kept on coming lol when i went to the local nursery i saw that their sweet potato vines had the holes. Sweet potato weevils are most numerous close to the soil surface.

The sweet potato weevil is a serious pest in the field and in storage. The adult weevil feeds on all parts of the plant but reproduces only in the stems and roots. Some leaves have been eaten so much that they are practically gone now. The sweet potato looper is a caterpillar that chews on the leaves.

Long hind legs for jumping give metallic bronze or black potato flea beetles their name.