Lesser Yam (Dioscorea esculenta)

Yam beetle (Galerucida bicolor, Lema lacordairei)

Symptoms

  • The grubs gather together and eat the leaves, causing serious harm.
  • The affected leaf ends up looking like a skeleton.
  • Adult beetles consume the planting sets, leading to wilting and death of plants.
  • Holes in tubers lower their value in the market.

Management

  • Spray neem garlic emulsion (20 ml neem oil + 20 gram garlic paste + 5 gram bar soap/litre of water).