Occurrence and prevalence of diseases and insect pests on vegetable crops in Zoba Anseba, Eritrea

The survey was conducted and focused on disease incidence, severity and infestation of insect pests on vegetable crops grown during the cropping season in three sub zobas of Hamelmalo, Hagaz and Adi-Tekeliezan of Zoba Anseba in Eritrea. During the survey 100 subsistence farmers were selected randomly for interview using structured questionnaires. The main vegetables grown in the three sub zobas were tomato, potato, chilli, egg plant, okra, onion, zucchini and carrot. Samples of the vegatables (plants and fruits) were brought to the laboratory for identification of disease and insect pests. The major vegetable diseases observed during the cropping season were early blight, powdery mildew, late blight, leaf curl virus and blossom end rot on tomato, downy mildews and purple blotch on onion, wilt, anthracnose, late blight, collar rot and scab on potato. Leaf minor, fruit borer, whitefly, African boll worm, aphids, cutworm, potato tuber moth, spider mites, jassids, less wing bug and thrips were observed as the major insect pests. Wherever the insect pests occurred, there was also incidence of leaf curl disease because of the transmitted viruses. Leaf curl virus and powdery mildews appeared in tomato and chilli; collar rot in potato; powdery mildews in zucchini and carrot almost in all villages where the crops are grown. On the other hand, percentage of severity prevailed due to whiteflies and infestation by fruit borer and aphids and registered in all grown crops of sub-zoba Hamelmalo. Tomato and okra showed low to medium percentage of disease severity. Powdery mildew was recorded medium to high in Hagaz and low to high in Derotay.