Cassava pest and disease surveillance survey in South-Eastern DRC

RTB crops are of strategic importance to the future food security of Africa under predicted climate change scenarios. Cassava is the most important RTB crop in Africa, and its production and consumption are projected to increase due to its adaptability to climate change. Currently cassava is threatened by two viral diseases, cassava mosaic (CMD) and cassava brown streak (CBSD) disease. To boost and sustain cassava production there is a need to develop and deploy strategies that will halt/slow the spread of pandemics of these viruses. Approaches to achieve this include participatory surveillance based on digital tools as well as the promotion of IPM solutions such as use of clean planting materials and control of virus vectors. Additionally, monitoring of the spread patterns of these viral diseases, the distribution and activity of the whitefly vector, Bemisia tabaci is an important target to mitigate further spread, contain them in the affected areas and to establish strategies to control them. This is especially important in areas most threatened in Central and Southern Africa, where no seed systems are in place and the germplasm is susceptible to both the viral diseases. This project is scaling out the use of digital tools for diagnosis of pests and diseases PlantVillage application, doing pest and disease surveys and evaluating the insecticidal cutting dip treatments and spraying with entomopathogens for control of whiteflies.