ABSTRACT
Sweetpotato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.] is one of the most important food crops worldwide and is used for animal feed, human consumption, and various processed products. Weed interference with the crop can cause significant yield reductions and inferior product quality. This necessitates the control of the weeds at critical stages throughout the growing season e.g. before sweetpotato transplanting and 2 to 6 weeks after transplanting. Amaranthaceae and Cyperaceae, amongst other weed families, are the most troublesome in sweetpotato and left uncontrolled can result in marketable yield reductions between 18 to 80%. The use of non-selective herbicides prior to transplanting, preemergence or preplant herbicides in combination with plowing, cultivation, and mechanical weed control have been effective weed control methods. More efforts must focus on prevention management strategies prior to sweetpotato transplanting, early detection and containment, and the integration of various control methods such as cultivar selection and crop rotation to enhance sweetpotato’s competitive ability.
