Effect of plantain barrier plants on potyvirus-associated diseases in yam cultivation

Yam belongs to a very diverse plant genus (Dioscorea L.) that includes more than 600 species, both wild and cultivated. In Cuba, different species are distributed in the central and eastern regions, where the most widespread cultivars belong to the species water yam (Dioscorea alata L.) and white yam (Dioscorea cayenensis subsp. rotundata (Poir.) J. Miège). The major constraints faced by yam production areas are those caused by viral diseases. In this sense, potyviruses have the greatest economic impact, since they can cause losses of more than 50% in agricultural yields. The movement of propagules between plantations without phytosanitary certification has facilitated the spread of viruses throughout the production areas. Understanding the relationships between the host, virus, vector, and ecosystem is fundamental for successful disease management and for increasing agricultural yields. The objective of the present work was to determine the effect of using virus-free planting material and plantain barriers on the production of two yam cultivars. For this purpose, potyvirus-free certified and non-certified planting material were evaluated inside and outside a live barrier based on plantain ‘Burro CEMSA’. The virus incidence and production of these plants were determined in each of the experiments conducted. It was possible to reduce the field incidence of viral diseases (average infection decreased from 60 to 15%). The barrier also prevented yield losses of 50–57% for both cultivars, compared to the farmer’s usual practices.