Sad news getting here shows that, cassava farmers in districts of Gulu and Nwoya in Northern Uganda are under attack in the form of the outbreak of Cassava brown streak disease. This is said to have left several acres of cassava destroyed.
A farmer in Owalo Sub- County in Gulu district called Stephen Odokonyero, whose 6-acre cassava garden has turned yellowish, says he has made contact with the district production department for possible treatment.
Furthermore, the most affected areas in Gulu are; Owalo, Palaro and some farmers from Alero Sub-county have also reported the cassava brown streak disease. Other farmers like James Komakech, a resident of Alero Sub-county say that his five acres of cassava may perish saying that all the leaves of his cassava have turned yellow and the tubers are rotting.
“We don’t know what exactly is causing our cassava to get rotten, leaves turning yellowish. I have made contact with the district production department to come and review, what exactly is causing this problem,” Stephen Odokonyero said.
Amuru district Agricultural officer Julius Otim said that tests are being done to confirm whether the disease is indeed Cassava brown streak disease since several diseases manifest similarly.
What is Cassava brown streak virus disease?
This Cassava brown streak virus disease (CBSD) is a damaging disease of cassava plants and is especially found in East Africa. It was first identified in 1936 in Tanzania and has spread to other coastal areas of East Africa, from Kenya, to Uganda and Mozambique.
This disease is characterized by severe chlorosis and necrosis on infected leaves, giving them a yellowish, mottled appearance. Leaf symptoms vary greatly depending on a variety of factors.
Is there treatment of Cassava Brown Streak Disease?
It is confirmed that there is no direct biological control of this disease once it has infected plants. One way to reduce the propagation of the disease is to avoid an excessive use of insecticides that could be detrimental to natural enemies of aphids, mites and whiteflies, all known vectors of CBSV.
How to avoid CBSD
These are few measures on how you can avoid the disease, or eliminate its widespread in the cassava garden. First, you have to avoid the movement of planting materials from CBSD infested areas
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Secondly, make sure all farm implements are sterilized with bleach before using them especially when cutting cassava stems into planting materials (cuttings). Moreso, you should uproot, and bury all cassava plants that show signs of being infected.
Additionally, you should harvest early by not leaving tubers for more than 9 months in the soil as this increases the chances of getting the virus and lastly but not least, intercrop cassava with maize, beans or sunflower as trap crops for the whiteflies, the main vector of the disease.
We are yet to get a word from Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) and see how far they are prepared to save farmers in Gulu and Nyowa districts. We shall keep you posted.
