COLLABORATORS/COLLABORATING INSTITUTIONS:

Dr. Christopher Omongo (NaCRRI, Namulonge, Uganda)

PROJECT SUMMARY:

Sweetpotato is an important crop in Uganda but its contributions in food and income security is challenged by virus diseases. Notably, the virus named Sweet potato mild mottle virus (SPMMV) causes more severe damages when co-infecting with another unrelated virus, Sweet potato chlorotic stunt virus (SPCSV). While the epidemiology of SPCSV is fairly studied, SPMMV epidemiology is less studied including lack of knowledge of vectors transmitting the virus. To control disease complexes like those arising from multiple infections with sweetpotato viruses, it is essential that the epidemiology of viruses in mixed and single infections be studied. This study therefore investigated SPMMV epidemiology at field-level by analyzing the preferences of different insect species in respect to SPMMV infection in the field of host preferences of different insects in sweetpotato. This project was funded by Regional Universities FORUM for capacity building in Agriculture (RUFORUM).