Producer practices, interests, and points of view regarding Vanilla planifolia Jacks ex Andrews wilt disease in a Totonac community

Resumen

Objective: To determine the socioeconomic profile of vanilla (Vanilla planifolia Jacks. ex Andrews) producers, their practices, interests, and points of view regarding vanilla wilt disease in the Dimas López community, Olintla, Puebla, Mexico.

Design/Methodology/Approach: A descriptive probabilistic study was conducted through semi-structured interviews with key vanilla producers (n=24). Data analysis was based on descriptive statistics.

Results: All producers were men, 70.8% were between 44 and 68 years old, 95.8% of them spoke Totonac as their native language, and 92% of them were farmers. Acahual was the predominant production system (84%). The maximum planting area was 0.25 ha. The species used as vanilla tutors were piñón (Jatropha curcas), pichoco (Erythrina sp.), and cocuitle (Gliricidia sepium). More than half of producers (62.5%) have found symptoms of wilting in their crops. Producers applied ash, calcium hydroxide, and sodium bicarbonate as a disease management practice. Producers are mainly interested in phytosanitation (58.3%), pollination (29.1%), plant nutrition (8.2%), and curing vanilla (4.1%).

Study Limitations/Implications: The results of this research are only applicable to the study area.

Findings/Conclusions: The Totonac vanilla producers in Dimas López are 44-82-years old. They use the acahual production system. Ash and lime are the main products used for the management of vanilla wilt. The main interest of vanilla producers is phytosanitation.