STATUS AND FARMERS PERCEPTION OF POTATO (Solanum tuberosum L.) VIRAL DISEASES IN HARARGHE, ETHIOPIA

Abstract

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is co-staple food and a source of income to small-scale farmers’ livelihoods in eastern highland areas of Ethiopia. Biotic production constraint including viruses exerted yield losses of potato in Ethiopia including the eastern highland areas. Therefore, this research was conducted to assess farmers’ perceptions and management practices of potato viruses and determine the status of major six potato viruses in the farmers’ fields during the main rainy and irrigation seasons in four major potato-growing districts of East and West Hararghe administrative zones of Oromia Regional State. The survey study to assess farmers’ perceptions of potato viruses was conducted and analyzed using SPSS and samples for potato viruses were taken and analyzed using SAS from the four districts during 2020/21 cropping season. About 50% of farmers do not know how viruses spread; while 50% of them had perception that virus spreads from infected to the healthy plants in the fields. Majority of the farmers (55%) in the surveyed districts did not know how to control the viruses, while a few of them had information that use of disease free seeds (40%) and managing vectors (5%) may control the viruses. The two viruses viz. PVM (57.3%) and PVY (48.1%) were highly prevalent than other viruses in all districts. Contrary to the previous survey, PVA that was not detected in the west Amhara region, detected as third most prevalent virus (45.1%) in the current study. Similarly, the two viruses viz. PVS and PVX, which was detected as most prevalent viruses in the west Amhara region, were found least distributed in current study. The mixture of all six potato viruses’ infection (19.4%) was found common type of infections; while 15.6% single virus infections and 28.1% with no virus detected in the collected samples. The study revealed the high prevalence of all six potato viruses infecting potato in the fields and the infection of six potato viruses in mixed situations leading to severe disease and probable yield losses in the study areas. The research results suggested the importance of creating farmers awareness on potato viral diseases and their management practices as well as supplying of certified seed tubers for farmers