Pacific Pests, Pathogens and Weeds

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Summary

• Worldwide in the tropics, on many crops. Important diseases.
• Fungi, water moulds (oomycetes) and bacteria cause the rots. They enter corms at harvest when suckers are broken off. The common ones are: (i) Athelia – pink with white border; (ii) Pythium - white crumbly rot; (iii) Phytophthora taro leaf blight - firm brown rot; (iv) Lasiodiplodia - black, spongy, sour-smelling rot; and (v) Erwinia - soft rot.
• Cultural control: harvest, remove suckers and soil, and store in (i) leaf-lined soil pit, or (ii) plastic bags or (iii) plastic-lined cardboard boxes, if for markets.
• Chemical control: improve storage in plastic bags by first dipping corms in bleach (1% for 1-2 mins).