Farmers’ Management Practices of Potato Bacterial Wilt and Its Implications in Disease Prevalence in Kenya

Abstract

The widespread occurrence of potato bacterial wilt significantly contributes to the reduced potato yields in Kenya. Implementing effective management strategies for this disease usually necessitates understanding the knowledge and practices of farmers regarding potato bacterial wilt. To gain insights into farmers' knowledge and practices in managing bacterial wilt and to outline feasible intervention strategies, a survey was conducted involving 136 randomly selected farmers from four key potato-growing counties in Kenya between April and June 2019. The results indicate that farmers mainly identified potato bacterial wilt through visual indicators like plant wilting (53.7%) and tuber rot (30.9%), which is a general symptom of many plant diseases. Most farmers (59.6%) believed the disease to be seed-borne, while 31.6 % reported that infested soils caused it. The most preferred potato variety was Shangi, and the majority of farmers (60.3%) used seeds saved from their farms, while only 5.9% used certified seeds. The results of this survey suggest a gap in farmers' understanding of the link between 48 infection and disease control. Potato breeders should consider marketability traits alongside pest and disease resistance when developing new varieties. Potato farmers' education on diagnosis, epidemiology, and management of bacterial wilt is also needed.