ASHS 2024 Conference

Sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas) is a nutritious, productive, and resilient crop that is grown worldwide and is gaining popularity throughout the U.S. In western Washington, wireworms (Agriotes lineatus, A. obscurus, and Limonius canus) are the primary pest impacting sweetpotato production. Wireworm resistant cultivars can provide an effective and sustainable pest management tool for growers. A field experiment in Mount Vernon, WA included nine sweetpotato cultivars and breeding lines: wireworm-susceptible cultivars Bayou Belle, Beauregard, Covington, and Orleans; wireworm-resistant cultivars Cascade and Monaco; and wireworm-resistant breeding lines USDA-04-136, USDA-04-284, and USDA-04-791. Storage roots were graded according to USDA sweetpotato categories and root weight, number, and wireworm damage [Wireworm-Diabrotica-Systena (WDS) severity index] were measured. Marketable yield ranged from 22 t/ha (USDA-04-136) to 57 t/ha (‘Bayou Belle’) (p