Effectiveness of Sex Pheromone Traps for Attracting the Sweet Potato Weevil [Cylas formicarius (Fabricius)] Causing Damage to Sweet Potato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.]

Date Received: 15-12-2025

Date Accepted: 30-12-2025

Date Published: 28-02-2026

##submissions.doi##: https://doi.org/10.31817/tckhnnvn.2026.24.2.01

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Phuong, T., Thanh, V., & Giang, H. (2026). Effectiveness of Sex Pheromone Traps for Attracting the Sweet Potato Weevil [Cylas formicarius (Fabricius)] Causing Damage to Sweet Potato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.]. Vietnam Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 24(2), 145–153. https://doi.org/10.31817/tckhnnvn.2026.24.2.01

Effectiveness of Sex Pheromone Traps for Attracting the Sweet Potato Weevil [Cylas formicarius (Fabricius)] Causing Damage to Sweet Potato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.]

Tran Thi Thu Phuong (*) 1 , Vu Thi Kim Thanh 2 , Ho Thi Thu Giang

  • Tác giả liên hệ: [email protected]
  • 1 Bộ môn Côn trùng, Khoa Nông học, Học viện Nông nghiệp Việt Nam
  • 2 Cục Trồng trọt và Bảo vệ thực vật

    • Keywords

    Sweet potato weevil, Cylas formicarius (Fabricius), pheremone traps, effectiveness, sweetpotato

    Abstract


    The sweet potato weevil, Cylas formicarius (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Brentidae), is the most serious pest of sweet potato worldwide. Controlling sweet potato weevil infestations is challenging due to the ineffectiveness of insecticide. Sex pheromone traps are used for monitoring, attracting, and capturing adult weevils in the field. In this study, we evaluated several factors affecting trap effectiveness, i.e. pheromone content, trap height, trap distance, trap types, and place timing. Results showed that lures with 1.0mg or more of pheromone effectively attracted male sweet potato weevils in the field. The number of captured adults were highest when traps were spaced 30-40m apart and positioned 0.5-0.8m above ground. Bucket traps and handmade traps made from two liter plastic bottles captured more adults than 1.5-liter handmade plastic bottles traps and delta traps. The optimal time to place pheromone traps on the field was 21 days after planting. The rate of sweet potato tubers damaged by weevils in fields using pheromone traps decreased by up to 84.7% compared to fields without traps.

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