Even though Quinoa is a quite
adaptable, drought tolerant plant that thrives in rich and drained soil, the
production is facing problems associated with pests and disease. (Seeds, n.d ) The following post will look more
closely into the pest and diseases that are affecting the Quinoa production in
Bolivia.
Since the more intensive use of
agricultural machineries, such as the plough or sowing machine, which are
losening the subsoil, pests have started to breed and increase in that specific
area. Traditionally these methods are not used, which led to an increase of
particular pests, such as the larvae of ticona and pollina de quinoa, who found
new habitable area in the soil that has been loosend by machineries. (sites, n.d )
Other pests that are commonly found in quinoa
farming are stem borer, flea beetles, aphids, leafhopper, beet armyworm, and
tarnished plant bugs. On the other side fungal leaf spots, stalk rot, damping
off , downy mildew and grew mold are all common disease found in the quinoa
cultivation. (Agrifarming, n.d ) These diseases are
caused by fungi, bacteria, virus or a vector such as nematodes, insects or
other organism that provide an entry point for the disease to invade.
 |
| Quinoa Plant afected by downy mildew at early stages |
Pest management
in Bolivia is mainly controlled by biological control, which means that the
pest is not completely eliminated but the control methods bring the pest down to
managerial levels. Biological pest management is using living organisms to
control a pest problem by predation, parasitism, or competition. An example of
this approach can be identified in Bolivias quinoa production, where 45 % of
the parasite eurysacca melanocampta is controlled by a range of parasitoid
species and predators in the field. (International, n.d )
Other methods of management is the
selection of high quality seed cultivars, which are having a good pest &
disease resistance. Therefore, a large number of farmers in Bolivia are using
cultivars with a high degree of resistance to mildew, which is central when controlling
fungal disease such as mildew. The appearance of mildew is a restrictive factor
for growing quinoa and therefore breeding programs have been developed in
Bolivia which are based on considerable existing genetic diversity. Quinoa
farmers in Bolivia who are using these varieties are able to exploit these for
several generations and are able to reduce costs as these varieties require
fewer or no fungicide application. (Antoine gandarillas, n.d )
Besides the
selection of good quality and high resistance plants it is also from high
importance to pay attention to cultural cultivation practices which restrict
the ability of pest and disease to breed in the soil. Both of these factors are
components of integrated pest management (IPM) which is a strategy that incorporates
five management methods to control pests. These components are from cultural,
biological, mechanical, genetic and chemical origin, and are thriving to
develop an ecosystem which minimizes impact of pests. Besides the already
existing approach of biological and genetic approach, it is also recommend to
use cropping systems such as polycropping or intercropping, which will promote
the biodiversity to provide an environment that reduces pest population.
References
Agrifarming. (n.d ). Quinoa
farming information Guide . Abgerufen am December 2016 von
http://www.agrifarming.in/quinoa-farming-information-guide/
Antoine gandarillas, w. r. (n.d ). Quinoa
in Bolivia: The PROINPA foundation´s perspective . Date accessed: December 2016 von Quinoa crops in andean
countries : http://www.fao.org/3/a-i4042e/i4042e22.pdf
International, H. (n.d ). Advances in
the Knowledge of Quinoa Pests. Date accessed: December 2016 from NC State
University : https://hortintl.cals.ncsu.edu/articles/advances-knowledge-quinoa-pests
Seeds, S. S. (n.d ). Growing Amaranth
and Quinoa . Date accessed: December 2016 from
https://www.saltspringseeds.com/pages/growing-amaranth-and-quinoa-dans-scoop
sites, g. (n.d ). Quinoa Production in
Bolivia . Date accessed: December 2016 from Analysis: Environmental :
https://sites.google.com/a/cornell.edu/quinoa-production-in-bolivia/analysis/environmental
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