Management of Sweet Potato Virus Disease Using Prophylactic Measure Strategy

The purpose of this study is to use plant components that have a pesticidal action to repel pests to control the pest vector. Sweet potato is one of the most economically important crops for addressing global food security and climate change issues, especially under conditions of extensive agriculture, such as those found in developing countries. However, osmotic stress negatively impacts the agronomic and economic productivity of sweet potato cultivation by inducing several morphological, physiological, and biochemical changes. Plants employ many signaling pathways to respond to water stress by modifying their growth patterns, activating antioxidants, accumulating suitable solutes and chaperones, and making stress proteins. The sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the bindweed or morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a root vegetable. Sweet potato is well known as nutritious and healthy source of food that has been linked to viral infections all throughout the world, including Malaysia. When growing sweet potatoes, it's crucial to control the insect vectors that spread viral diseases. Aphid transmits Sweet potato feathery mottle virus (SPFMV) meanwhile whitefly transmits Sweet potato chlorotic stunt virus (SPCSV). SPFMV when singly or mix with other viruses had caused reduction in the quantity and quality of the sweet potato tubers. Planting chives (Allium tuberosum) in companion to sweet potato as a prophylactic measure was carried out for managing the virus pest vectors at farmer plot in Semenyih, Selangor. A total number of 192 bags of chives were planted companion to sweet potato in a ratio 1:2 as repellent crop. A continuity study which carried out to correlate between diseases severity in sweet potato and yield of harvest showed a significant interaction of negative correlation. Sweet potato planted with chives was shown to have a lower mean number of aphid and whitefly when compared to mean number for aphid and whitefly in the control plants (sweet potato without chives). A lower virus incidence percentage was also significantly observed in sweet potato planted with chives (27.5%) compared to the control plants (41.2%). Furthermore, sweet potato grown with chives attracted more beneficial arthropod/ insects. The partial budgeting analysis showed that planting sweet potato with chives had a positive impact on the production with 13% increment of sweet potato yield compared to planting sweet potato alone. Farmer earned extra income from the sale of chives in addition to the existing sweet potato produce. More positive benefits were obtained with the value of in net income RM 344.57 when sweet potato was planted companion with chives.