Seasonal activity of insect fauna associated with sweet potato and its correlation with agronomic practices in Egypt

Surveys conducted over two successive seasons showed that 20 insect species belonging to orders viz, Homoptera, Lepidoptera, Hemiptera, Orthoptera, Thysanoptera, and Coleoptera attack sweet potato. The homopterans were the dominant insects. The total of beneficial insects associated were thirteen species belonging to six orders viz., Coleoptera, Odonata, Hemiptera, Diptera, Dermaptera, Nuroptera. The early planting date harboured the lowest number of insect species, while the late planting increased the population. The variety NcSu925 (Kafr EI-Zyat) was the most resistant to all groups of insects studied.