Insects Associated with Sweetpotato, Ipomoea batatas (L.), in Mississippi

Seventy-two species or genera of insects collected from or observed in commercial sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas [L.]) fields or research plots during a five-year period are listed. Twenty-two species are known to damage sweetpotato storage roots, 13 species are recognized as serious pests of sweetpotato, and 43 species have the potential for feeding on sweetpotato foliage. The primary root-damaging pests are beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae, Brentidae, Curculionidae, Elateridae and Scarabeidae), and noctuid moth larvae (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Other insects from the orders Hemiptera (8 species), Lepidoptera (9 species), Orthoptera (1 species), and Thysanoptera (3 species) are listed. Thrips, aphids, and several beetle species are discussed as possible vectors of viral diseases to sweetpotato.