Musungu, Sally; Mumford, John; Murray, Kris (2026): Banana weevil pest (Cosmopolites sordidus) damage and management in Central, Western and Southwestern Uganda, (2019-2021) [dataset]. PANGAEA, https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.990055

This dataset contains georeferenced, farm-level observations of East African Highland Banana (EAHB) production systems collected from banana farms in Uganda between 2019 and 2021. Data were gathered across three agroecological regions in Central, Western, and Southwestern Uganda, including the districts of Nakaseke, Isingiro, and Bunyang'abu, at elevations ranging from approximately 900 to 1800 m above sea level. The observations were made to quantify banana weevil (Cosmopolites sordidus) damage, banana crop traits, and farm management practices across contrasting production environments. Each record is linked to spatial attributes describing farm location, including village, district, and altitude. Geographic coordinates represent village-level centroids derived from open-source geospatial data, primarily OpenStreetMap, and are reported in the World Geodetic System 1984 coordinate reference system. A coordinate uncertainty of 1 km was applied to village centroids to reflect spatial generalisation and protect participant confidentiality. In cases where specific villages could not be uniquely resolved, coordinates were assigned using district-level reference locations with an expanded uncertainty of 5 km to reflect reduced spatial precision. Biophysical measurements include pseudostem morphology (upper and lower inner and outer diameters) and pseudostem damage (%) recorded at multiple stem sections. Management and socio-economic variables describe farming practices, including manure application, pesticide use, labour type, number of farm visits, and other banana weevil control strategies. Additional variables document intercropping status and type, slope characteristics, farm age, farmer age, and farmer preferences for banana cultivars, together with the reasons for these preferences. Data were collected during on-farm field visits. Pseudostem diameters were measured directly on freshly cut pseudostems with the cross-section exposed, using a graduated measuring ruler. Pseudostem damage was assessed by cutting the pseudostem and visually estimating the proportion of tissue damaged by banana weevil larvae at each stem section. Management, socio-economic, and preference variables were obtained through structured farmer interviews conducted during the same visits. The dataset is intended to support analysis of interactions between banana crop traits, banana weevil damage, management practices, and environmental conditions across banana-growing regions of Uganda.

Author's contribution:

Sally Musungu - Project design, acquisition, processing, analyses and compilation of data

The late Professor John Mumford - Project design **

Professor Kris Murray - Project design