Abstract:

Passion fruit production has decreased over years in Uganda. Biotic and management
related factors have been implicated as the cause, with viruses taking lead. In order to
understand the production environment of Passion fruit, this study was initiated.
Specifically, the focus was to investigate the relationship between farmers’ knowledge of
virus diseases and their management. To achieve this, a survey was conducted in Buikwe
and Mubende districts, central Uganda in 2011, also considered virus disease hot spots.
Sixty farmers were purposively selected and interviewed using structured pretested
questionnaire. Data were analysed using Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) data analysis
package. Results indicated that diseases followed by pests were the main production
constraints. Majority (80%) of the farmers acknowledged passion fruit virus diseases as a
major production limitation. Seventy three (73%) percent recognized the diseases by
symptom description. Only a minority (5%) claimed to be aware of the cause of passion
fruit virus diseases, which they attributed to use of virus-infected planting materials. Thirty
two (32%) percent considered the cause to be direct insect feeding damage. None of the
farmers pinpointed the causative pathogen to be virus(es). Farmers (95%) lacked
knowledge of passion fruit virus diseases transmission. Pesticide application was the key
disease management strategy