Lorsban is broadcast and incorporated in the soil before planting. Dyfonate and diazinon are applied to the soil before planting or at midseason to manage root-feeding insects. Dyfonate is no longer sold and growers are looking for other methods of managing root-feeding insects. Insecticides applied by survey respondents to control root-feeding insects. Fifty-seven percent of the survey respondents reported walking their sweetpotato fields to scout for insects and their damage.
Crop rotation is an effective management practice for root-feeding insects.
Ninety-six percent of growers claimed to have rotated crops in the fields where they grew sweetpotatoes in 1996. The crops rotated with sweetpotatoes include tobacco, soybeans, corn, cotton, wheat, and peanuts. The sweetpotato weevil, a serious insect pest of sweetpotato, is not present in the commercial sweetpotato-producing areas of North Carolina. However, the weevil is established in coastal areas near Wilmington where it can be found on seaside morningglory. The adult weevil can feed on any part of the sweetpotato plant, but prefers stored roots.