We all love potatoes, so most of the owners of summer cottages grow it.
To obtain good harvest (and even better and earlier) summer residents, long before planting, begin to prepare seed tubers, then they are planted, they carefully look after the plantings.
But, nevertheless, sometimes the potato crop does not please us at all.
For a person, potatoes are the second bread, but there are also competitors. For them, potatoes are sometimes the first bread.
These are numerous pests of potatoes. Most of them love, like us, to feast on a tuber (bear, wireworm and others).
There are also those who adore potatoes from tuber to flower (Colorado potato beetle).
The main pests of potatoes in most regions are Medvedka and the Colorado potato beetle.
There are many more rare, but also harmful insects... From all these gourmets, the gardener needs to save potatoes.
Characteristics of potato pests
Many of the plant pests are remarkably resistant to environmental influences.
They also adapt to the action of pesticides - they develop protection and genetically transmit it to their offspring.
Not an easy task - a vegetable garden in the country. But the summer resident knows how to protect the potatoes.
And there are many pests.
Colorado beetle
Dangerous pest of potatoes: it can completely destroy the plantings.
Mexican in origin, the beetle got its name after massive damage to potatoes in Colorado.
It happened back in 1859 already.
A quarantine pest came to the territory of the USSR a hundred years later, having first chosen the Ukrainian SSR.
It was possible to contain it until 1975. After that, the Colorado potato beetle managed to settle from the European territory of the country to the Far East.
Description... A bright, conspicuous, striped beetle.
Dimensions - 10 mm on average. Dense, shiny orange body. Hard elytra have exactly five stripes along. The stripes are black. Under the elytra are membranous wings.
Due to the membranous, the beetle flies well.
The most harmful are the reddish-orange beetle larvae. They hatch from small yellow, clustered rows of eggs.
The eggs are attached to the bottom of the leaf and are not immediately visible. But the work of the larvae cannot be overlooked. They are extremely voracious, grow rapidly, half outgrowing the length of their parents (15 mm).
Biology... In the spring, male and female beetles, ready for breeding, emerge from winter shelters.
They hibernated deep in the ground, sometimes deeper than half a meter, already as adults. By the time of release, the Colorado potato beetle already has comfortable conditions development.
Before the appearance of nightshades, it will not come out, it will wait for the heat. One female beetle will lay up to a thousand eggs per season (depending on the region, how many generations will have time to give).
For half a month of feeding, the hatched larvae pass four molts.
Eating foliage to stems, they grow and go into the ground. There, shallow (10 cm), they pupate.
In two, sometimes three weeks, it is already an adult beetle. He either goes out to continue the invasion of nightshades, or remains in the ground to winter if the feeding season is over.
Intense heat or chemical treatments "Chase" the beetle, causing long flights.
He can overcome tens of kilometers "flying". Having found a suitable place, he will continue his destructive activity.
The beetle loves the young foliage of potatoes, from early plantings it partially moves to those that are younger.
When the potatoes are finished, or they were dug up by the owners, the beetle does not fly away. Moves to tomatoes, planting peppers.
And she especially loves eggplant beds - they get no less than potatoes.
Control measures... The beetle is little afraid of "chemistry": it dies partially, not from all poisons and not in all phases.
The survivors continue to develop and feed, producing offspring resistant to the drug.
This is a problem for production plantings, but the gardener can protect his plot from potato pests.
The techniques and methods are as follows:
- Mechanical;
- Agrotechnical;
- Biological;
- Chemical.
Mechanical - not a single Colorado beetle has yet managed to develop resistance against a broom and a bucket.
We substitute a bucket from one side of the bush and sharply shake it off with a broom with a gentle shake on the other side into the bucket - beetles.
There should be liquid at the bottom of the bucket, preferably with the addition of diesel fuel or pesticides. So that the Colorado potato beetle could not crawl out or fly away. You will have to do this often.
Some females will still have time to lay eggs on the bottom of the sheet.
This is easily eliminated: with fingers in work gloves, we press down the sheet from above and below in the place of laying. The eggs are crushed, the leaf remains intact.
If you overlooked or missed the moment, and larvae appeared, a broom will help again.
Only the bucket must be substituted quickly, but carefully - the larvae, like beetles, pour down from the touch instantly. Like overripe apricots from a branch in the wind.
This is an adaptive reaction: to fall and hide, to survive.
It is necessary to adapt with a beetle: who will outwit whom.
There is also a method of fishing with bait. The potatoes have just risen, the beetle has gone upstairs, hilling is carried out with the seedlings falling asleep.
And in the aisles, pieces of cut potatoes are laid out. Hungry beetles will find them, and the owner of the site will find the beetles themselves.
Agrotechnical... We take into account the biology of the pest.
It hibernates in the soil. This means that a well-thought-out crop rotation is required. Alternation of crops on the site.
We do not plant potatoes in the same area - this is strict. After nightshades, you can't either. Tomatoes, eggplants, peppers grew on the plot - these are unsuccessful predecessors for potatoes.
Planning for planting next to these crops is another mistake. Crop rotation along the way and from other pests of potatoes will alienate its plots.
Digging. Having dug up the site before the frost, you will break the "apartments" of those individuals that remained shallow wintering.
Not all lie in winter dormancy at great depths, especially in regions of mild winters.
Some of the beetles will freeze (remember - one female is capable of producing a thousand offspring).
Spring re-digging or milling of the already almost ripe soil, but still cold for the pest, will complement the process.
Biological... The use of drugs that have a detrimental effect on the beetle.
Nobody else is harmed by them. The long-known bitoxibacillin is still relevant today.
The later ones are also used: agravertine, fitoverm.
Chemical... If it is not possible to cope with the beetle, the deadlines are missed, and instead of the leaves on the potatoes in rowan bunches - the larvae of the Colorado potato beetle, you have to use insecticides.
It is advisable not to bring potatoes to such an unpleasant state.
This is the loss of yield (or even the entire crop), and the contact of the gardener himself with poisons.
Previously, organophosphate pesticides were actively used, now they are trying to avoid them: they are highly toxic.
Chlorophos - the former protector of potatoes - is prohibited, karbofos is almost never used.
Aktara is a good preparation - sticking to the leaves, it is not washed off by rain. Protects the month, does not penetrate the tuber.
Medvedka
The pest is large, polyphagous, and numerous. It differs outwardly from other insects in size and appearance.
Potatoes are among the favorite treats of the bear, like everything juicy that is located underground.
Description... It's hard not to recognize the insect, the bear only looks like itself.
Refers to Orthoptera: it has wings. It flies, however, very rarely, and it gets out of the ground at night. During the day it is difficult to see a bear, if only when digging the soil.
The body color is brown, the abdomen is lighter than the front.
Medvedka (adult) is larger than five centimeters. The front part is rigid - the shell. It is shorter than the soft abdomen.
The shell allows the bear to pull its head into it, but not completely. The oral apparatus is well suited for gnawing and crushing plants.
The bear's front legs are digging, with them she makes underground passages, equips nests.
A relative of crickets, the bear cannot jump. But under the ground, close to the surface, it can "emanate" almost the entire garden.
Biology... Loves warmth and moisture. But he settles almost throughout the country.
Only northerners were lucky not to meet this potato pest.
Polyphagous, almost no vegetation will be neglected. Because - tenacious.
The female builds nests in the soil, chooses the depth according to the temperature: so that her incubator warms up.
Cuts plants over the nest and monitors temperature constancy.
Three weeks or a month and a horde of small spears of the bear, still soft, light gray, ready to feed. There are 200 or more of them in the nest.
Control measures... It is difficult to fight a bear. General control measures various pests potatoes (and a bear too) - as in the fight against the harmful Colorado potato beetle.
These are crop rotation, agricultural technology, poisoned baits.
Traps of different types are also used:
- Fishing dung pits (before winter);
- Buried bottles with leftover beer.
Chemical measures are difficult, preparations are used only with grain mixture in the wells during planting, but this is ineffective.
Wireworm
Damaging tubers, in addition to aesthetic harm and deprivation of presentation, the wireworm opens the door for fungal infections, bacterial lesions.
Description... The wireworm is a black beetle, adult length is 5 mm.
Dense long worm-like larvae are harmful. They are yellow, multi-segment. Gluttonous, like all insect larvae.
Such a larva pierces a tuber through and through, like a wire, which is why, perhaps, the beetle itself received the name.
The beetle is also called a clicker: if you put it on a hard surface with its back down, the beetle bends, emitting a characteristic click. At the same time he rolls over to his feet.
In the "pre-computer era" children loved to watch these revolutions.
This is also a defining feature: having found a similar beetle on the site, you can check whether a wireworm or another type of insect. He clicks and turns over, so - he.
Biology. Long-liver - the larva can perforate a potato in the area for 5 years before pupating in the soil.
In winter, she hides deeper into the ground - half a meter. Adult clickers hibernate shallowly.
Having matured, the larva pupates, then transforms into a young beetle, which will fly out to egg-laying in the spring.
Control measures... General agronomic, adopted for potatoes, plus specific for the pest.
- The scent of marigolds frightens off the wireworm, for him it is unpleasant.
- Doesn't like neighbors legume family - you can sow peas along the potato, next to the plot - alfalfa. Beans, if they are bush, are also suitable for neighbors.
- Potatoes have hard-to-eliminate enemies, and the wireworm is no exception. Summer residents are adapting at least to reduce the number of pests with traps. For bait, pieces of potatoes are laid out on the site. Put chopped tubers and jars buried flush with the ground.
- You can make a "shish kebab" for the larvae - string potato pieces on sticks or wire and dig into the soil of the plot. Reach out periodically, destroying the caught wireworms.
- Create an acceptable environment for birds in the garden to help catch the clicker. Put on water - birds settle near the water. Just do not forget to put a plank in the water: sometimes the bird falls into the container and cannot get out. The board will help out.
- Destroy wheatgrass, this is a wireworm breeding ground.
- The wireworm picks acidic soils... Lime them, add chalk, ash (wood).
- Biological method: bio-soil "Protection". It is laid out in the holes when landing. The wireworm will face its enemy, the wireworm nematode Nembak, and will be defeated.
Nematode
The potato has a named enemy: the golden potato nematode. Sounds beautiful, looks unsightly.
The damage is enormous. It is specific, develops on potatoes and plants of its family - nightshade. Affects roots.
Description... A nematoda is a miniature, microscopic worm. It does not grow more than a millimeter, but nematodes are numerous.
First, the roots are affected - tubers may not develop on the potato at all.
There are types of nematodes affecting the tuber. This is the stem nematode. It strikes the stem, it, trying to compensate for this, branches heavily, bushes.
By the end of the growing season, the nematode passes to the tubers, it is not visible - it is small.
Already during storage, it becomes clear: the tubers are infected. They turn blue in places, the peel is covered with cracks, interior turns into dark dust.
By the spring, almost the entire crop can be lost in storage.
If the bushes do not grow, the roots are covered with swellings, there are almost no tubers and they bulge ugly - this is a root nematode.
Control measures... Nematodes infect the soil, then live in the infected area for many years.
Only prevention is effective here:
- Healthy planting material;
- Competent crop rotation;
- Separate storage of tubers intended for seed purposes;
- Disinfection of the tool if it came into contact with the soil, where the nematode could be kept;
- Autumn digging;
- Disinfection of tubers with potassium permanganate - a weak solution - before planting;
- Pre-planting application of urea to the site;
- Adding ash to the hole.
Naked slugs
These unpleasant molluscs are very harmful. However, potatoes are rarely attacked.
They prefer non-poisonous tender foliage of cruciferous plants: lettuce, radish, cabbage.
They can feast on onions: eat the foliage right up to the bulb.
If the slug suffers such a setback that there is nothing like it on his table, and such luck that the year turned out to be rainy, the toothy one will come to the potatoes.
It will reach the tuber and feed, spoiling the crop for the owner of the site.
Control measures... Conventional, improvised means:
- Traps - wet rags, boards, cardboard - laid out in different places at night, will work during the day. The slugs will hide there from the light and heat. After removing the shelters, the insects are easy to collect. If there are chickens and especially ducks in the country, they will be happy with such feeding.
- Sprinkling ash between rows: the slug will not overcome the obstacle, the alkali burns his body.
- You can cover the approaches to the potatoes with a layer of sand - the slug will not risk moving along the sand.
- Slug doesn't like strong coffee either. Spraying the seedlings and the surrounding soil with coffee solution will protect the potatoes.
- Slugs die from salt, but it is undesirable to salt the soil - plants will not be happy with salt either.
- You won't find a slug in parsley. This pest of potatoes does not like the smell of herbs. If it annoys potatoes a lot, sow parsley next to it - see the result.
Potato scoop
The potato and the scoop have their own - potato. But the pest is not specific, polyphagous, despite the name.
The scoop is an inconspicuous brownish, sometimes gray, medium-sized butterfly. Wingspan: 3-4 centimeters.
The butterfly is harmful only as a producer, and the caterpillar causes the damage.
All caterpillars are gluttonous. The scoop roams at night, hiding in the prudently gnawed potato tubers during the day.
Control measures. You just can't take a scoop, in addition to agricultural technology, you will have to connect "chemistry".
This will reduce the environmental friendliness of the product, but provide it with a chance to exist.
Try to take the drugs that are the safest. Nembakt, Aktellik, Bazudin.
Follow the instructions - take care of your health, bust is dangerous.
Khrushch
Larva may beetle - the problem of the potato site. She loves to eat, the size (4 cm - adult) dictates the appetite.
I crunch a tuber - both a table and a temporary home. The larva eats this house from the inside to the skin.
This potato pest is a gardener's disaster.
The larvae live quietly, feed, hibernate in the ground for up to 4 years, then pupate and become beetles by autumn. These beetles will overwinter and fly out to eat.
They live in forest and forest-steppe regions, it is almost everywhere in the country in the European part.
In Asia, too - to the eastern borders, excluding cold northern places.
The beetle is large. An adult - a pest of forest and park plants and plantations (trees), gardens - eats foliage.
The larvae eat everything underground, they are omnivorous. Tree roots, garden plants, weeds - everything goes to the "Khrushchev table".
The larva feasts there for up to 4 years, it will easily destroy the tree in a day.
The biology of the beetle is cyclical: it is not always possible to see it.
Years three, sometimes four years - mass hatching and emergence of adults.
Then for ten years it is not visible, this does not mean getting rid of the pest. The May beetle is actively reproducing, preparing for the next summer and flight: settling in the spaces free from it.
Control measures. From the description you can see that they are not easy:
- Mechanical - two digging (autumn, spring), and collecting larvae at this time.
- Sowing of umbrella plants - dill, coriander, fennel. They are attractive to the beetle's enemies - entomophages that feed on pest larvae.
- In early summer, early in the morning, the beetles are still cold. You can shake them off, sitting inactively on the branches - on the litter. They will not run away - they freeze from the cold.
- Sod in the garden. Sodding deprives the beetle of the ability to lay eggs in the soil. This will protect the garden, but the garden cannot be covered.
- The plot for the garden is protected by sowing legumes. Their peculiarity to release nitrogen into the soil with root nodules is very unpleasant for the beetle. If clover, alfalfa, beans, peas are buried in the ground during digging, additional protection... The beetle leaves the site.
- Lupine and mustard are the Achilles heel of the beetle. They cannot eat this, neither larvae, nor May beetles. The latter cannot stand the smell, they fly away.
- Of chemical compounds it is worth paying attention: we don't like the beetle - chlorine. Spreading bleach on the earth during digging is unpleasant for a person, but no more than harm from crumbling.
- A special drug - antichrusch will help with the mass settlement of the site with this potato pest. Before planting tubers, spill the wells with the diluted suspension. Long-lasting effect.
- Biologicals. And here nembakt, fitoverm will come in handy.
- Weak solutions of potassium permanganate or ammonia, infusion of onion peels - improvised means - also work against crustaceans.
- If there are shrews on the site, they will cope with the shrew themselves.
Potato moth
Unwanted, relatively young, newcomer to the country. A nondescript butterfly made its way from the south.
Kuban learned about her thirty years ago. The butterfly itself does not eat, it ate itself with a larva, now its function is reproduction.
A mole can give up to 8 generations if the region is warm.
The larvae start feeding immediately. Beautiful name moths - fluorimea does not cover up the outrages perpetrated by the larvae.
Caterpillars mine stems, leaves - gnaw out the inner contents, pulp, leaving the surface shells of the leaf intact. This can be seen: whitish winding stripes, passages inside the leaves and there are insect mines.
The larvae penetrate into the tubers, at first they are invisible. But the vaults are a real paradise for moths. She hibernates there, eats, turns potatoes into dust.
Control measures... This potato pest is quarantine.
It was possible to contain it in pre-perestroika times. After the path-road, potato moths began to be determined by the thickness of the wallet carrying the contaminated material.
The quarantine barriers have been greatly shaken. The moth settled in all regions suitable for its temperature.
Manages even where it's cold - in storage facilities. Nobody is grocery, and seed potatoes will not freeze.
You need to fight:
- The resumption of quarantine, and for all nightshades.
- Disinfection of storages in summer.
- Glue traps with pheromones - during the summer period, moths - on the site.
- The choice of the variety. In areas prone to moth attacks dangerous pest you can get around. Early varieties vegetate at temperatures unacceptable for potato moths. By growing them, this misfortune can be avoided.
- Embedment depth. A sissy - the larva of a potato moth - will not go deeper than 10 cm. It's cold for her there, especially in early plantings. Deep planting and subsequent high hilling (planting on the ridges) will protect the early potatoes, the moth will not pick up the tubers.
- For the same purpose - to keep the tubers deeper - the watering method is chosen. Sprinkling method is physiological. Plants will be stronger, pests will become tight.
- Potato tubers (early) deep planting will save. But aerial part may be amazed. Therefore, they use agricultural technology - they mow the tops at the beginning of yellowing. It is burned, the harvest is dug up, removed from the plot immediately. Dry in another moth-free place.
- Good old friends - biological products - entobacterin, bitoxybacillin are also used against this serious pest of potatoes.
Potato aphid
But it also hurts potatoes. Basically - as a carrier of diseases.
In morphology and biological characteristics, it is close to other aphids, there are no special differences.
Control measures:
- Agrotechnical - destruction of weeds, cleaning of fields during the period free from plants, crop rotation;
- Biological - the use of biological products that destroy aphids, safe for humans;
- Chemical - insecticide treatment;
- Household helpers - the use of ash and soap solution, disinfection of greenhouses, the use of burning solutions (garlic, mustard, tobacco, celandine).
Mouse rodents
They are found in any area, only the number is different.
In summer, mice find themselves a different food, and by autumn they take a fancy to juicy potato tubers. Rats can even drag tubers into holes.
In storage facilities - permanent and temporary - rats spoil the harvest. They gnaw on different tubers, the damaged potato gets sick, rots.
It is more difficult to deal with them. On the site, the main helpers are cats.
Poisoned baits are laid out in storages inaccessible to cats.
Help and different designs mousetrap, rat traps. Rats, however, are smart, extremely careful. If there is a pied cat, the matter is simplified.
We got acquainted with the main pests of potatoes, but that's not all the misfortunes on our favorite vegetable. There are also many diseases - non-infectious. We will deal with them in subsequent articles.
It is not easy to grow potatoes, to protect them from any hungry tuber lovers. But the work is not in vain.
Already in the summer, a young potato will start to delight the gardener's family.
And then she will be the queen of the table in different variations - until the next harvest.
See you soon, dear readers!
Potatoes can be safely called the most popular vegetable of Russians. The demand for tubers is high all year round, therefore, breeders have bred many varieties. Unfortunately, the fruits of the potato were to the taste not only of humans, but also of insect pests. Every agronomist, breeder, and just a gardener who respects his work should know at least the minimum ways to combat such insects.
The main pests of potatoes
Life cycle each insect is unique, which means that everyone ruins the crop in different ways. To deal with pests as effectively as possible, you need to determine which insects you have to deal with and choose the right method.
A universal remedy for controlling potato pests has not yet been invented. Each insect needs a specific approach. Below are the main pests of potatoes with photos, their descriptions, as well as methods of dealing with them.
Colorado beetle
Adult beetles are about a centimeter long, have an orange head and a light yellow body with black stripes. They hibernate in the soil and appear in late spring at about the same time as the first shoots of potatoes hatch, which the beetles eat. They lay small orange eggs on the inside of their leaves.
Young larvae are red with black heads. In warm weather, the development of the pest larva occurs in just 10 days. In regions with long, hot summers, potato beetles can have two or more generations each year.
For potato beds, Colorado beetles are a real disaster, because they can leave a bush without foliage. Potato plants usually survive a bush infestation early in the season. But damage is serious if it occurs when the potato tubers are actively growing, usually immediately after flowering.
Colorado potato beetles also feed on any plant related to potatoes, including peppers, tomatoes, and eggplants. If this pest is found on the site, you must immediately begin to fight it. Attempts to get rid of insects must be continued until they are massively lying upside down.
They are small and shiny beetles, but with large hind limbs. Their eggs are laid at the base of plant stems in early summer, after a feeding period. The larvae feed on the roots, and the adult beetles feed on foliage, producing chips.
The potato flea usually does not cause fatal damage to potato plants because the leaves are too large for them. The real danger is that these insects can spread bacterial diseases from plant to plant.
They are popularly called the drotyanka - these are the larvae of the nutcracker beetles. They are a problem in many vegetable gardens, especially those that have recently been covered with grass. Wireworms grow up to 25 mm in length, have subtle body yellowish brown.
Harmful insects feed on seedlings, roots and stem bases. The affected roots of the infected plant cease to perform their functions normally, but the main damage occurs on the tubers, in which they gnaw many passages. The larval stage can take up to four years before the larvae pupate and develop into adult nutcracker beetles.
Wireworms cause greatest harm in newly plowed land freed from grass, but become less abundant with regular cultivation, because adult beetles prefer to lay their eggs in grassy soil.
This potato pest is similar to aphids or moths. It feeds on plant sap, which means it spoils potato tops. In the place where the leafhopper begins to gnaw a leaf, damage is formed, and over time, the tissues die off. By itself, the leafhopper is not capable of causing great harm to the plant, but bacteria and harmful spores penetrate the plant through the damaged places, which can cause the disease of the potato bush. And the insect itself is a carrier of diseases.
Outwardly, this pest looks like an ordinary house moth, but its target is a potato bush. Most often, the female insect lays eggs on potato leaves. When the larvae appear, they fall to the ground and burrow into it until they reach the potato tuber. The larvae bite into the tuber most often through the "eyes".
The ripening time for a population of potato moths ranges from 17 to 125 days, depending on temperature. This means that in a hot year, several populations can change, which makes this insect a dangerous potato pest.
The potato scoop is another insect that causes major damage during the caterpillar stage. They appear in mid to late spring and initially feed on the leaves of wild grasses. Further under threat are already cultivated plants, including potatoes.
The larva eats up the stem of the plant and eats away at the core. The caterpillar often damages potato tubers. The damaged areas of the healthy pulp of the plant become covered with mucus and begin to rot.
Potato nematodes
The potato nematode is a serious pest of potatoes and is subject to strict quarantine and regulatory procedures wherever it is detected. Nematodes can lay eggs twice a year (up to 1200 pieces). When a bush is infected with nematodes, the potato tops wither, yellowing occurs lower leaves.
There are the following types of nematodes:
- golden;
- stem;
- gallic.
Gallic nematoda
How to deal with potato pests
Potato pests and the fight against them are an urgent problem for almost all gardeners. Effective measures control of garden pests exist, they can be used. After planting potato bushes, you need to constantly monitor, and as soon as traces of the presence of one of the pests are noticed, take necessary measures to curb the spread.
Chemicals
To get rid of the Colorado potato beetle, it is best to use insecticides (Sonnet, Apache, Confidor, Aktara, Mospilan). The products must be applied at least three times. Stop processing at least 20 days before harvesting potatoes.
These same preparations are good for getting rid of potato moths. Against the wireworm, it is better to bring Bazudin into the holes when planting potatoes. Chemicals it is advisable to use it if other methods fail.
Folk remedies
TO folk methods the fight against the Colorado potato beetle can be attributed to the mechanical collection and destruction of all insects, spraying potato bushes with infusions of celandine and basil. Poplar branches with foliage are also stuck between the rows of potatoes, in this case the beetle will not lay eggs.
Against the wireworm, they use the method of trapping the pest with bait in the form of potatoes buried in the ground before planting seed tubers. Treating the soil with urea or irrigation with chicken droppings will help ward off the nematode. It is useful to alternate cultures on land plot, and process the affected fruits with lime. Watering small areas with a weak solution of potassium permanganate can also be attributed to successful methods of preventing the appearance of beetles.
Agrotechnical techniques
Subject to the agrotechnical methods of protecting potatoes, the chances of the appearance of pests or diseases, although not reduced to zero, are minimized. These techniques include:
- crop rotation, that is, the alternation of crops when growing;
- adding crops to the potato beds that repel insect pests;
- fertilizing the soil;
- destruction of weeds and plant residues;
- correct timing and methods of sowing;
- the use of resistant varieties;
- proper irrigation.
With long-term planning of the site, it is worth paying attention to agrotechnical methods. This will avoid many problems for another early stage... Folk remedies are easy to use. Chemicals should be used only if others do not bring the desired result.
He grows potatoes on his own summer cottage every gardener, because this vegetable has long been included in the diet of every person.
Growing potatoes is not an easy process, and pests can lead to a complete loss of crops if measures are not taken in a timely manner.
Consider in detail the main pests of potatoes and methods of combating them with folk and chemical means.
Potato pests with photos and descriptions
Prevention for pest control begins with the treatment of tubers before planting in the ground. The main types of pests harm tubers, eat leaves and stems.
Colorado beetle
Colorado beetles - These striped beetles are known to every gardener. The most dangerous pests for potatoes are larvae and adult insects, they can cause irreparable harm to plants. Most of all, the Colorado potato beetle is dangerous during flowering and tuber formation.
Folk ways to combat Colorado beetles:
Collecting eggs on leaves, killing beetles different ages from hatched to adults;
- spraying potato bushes with infusions of herbs: celandine, basil, tansy;
- when planting potatoes, alternate it with plants that scare off Colorado beetles with their smell.
Chemical control agents
The main assets are Aktara, Iskra, Commander, Tabu. It is important to remember that it is forbidden to use such a preparation 20 days before harvest.
Biologicals Fitoferm gives positive result when fighting beetles. The drug acts on beetles of any age.
Potato wireworm
Click beetle larva, tough as a wire, up to 3 cm long. Wireworm inhabits the ground and feeds on the roots of wheatgrass (weed plant). It also eats potato tubers, it is necessary to start the fight against the pest by weeding the beds from weeds.
Tubers damaged by wireworm are affected by viruses, nematodes, and various rot pathogens.
Potato wireworm control methods:
Feed the plants with fertilizers containing ammonia;
- reduce the acidity of the soil by adding lime;
- weed weeds and loosen the soil constantly;
- treat the potato tubers before planting in the ground with insecticidal preparations.
The protection of bushes from wireworms will be provided by the drug Tabu.
Video - Potatoes without beetles and wireworm
Cicadas
The pest is outwardly similar to fleas and aphids. Cicadca sucks sap from plant leaves by piercing outer shell sheet. Damage forms on the leaves, through which viruses and bacteria penetrate. The surface of the leaf that creates chlorophyll decreases, and the root system receives less nutrition.
For pest control, the drugs Kruiser, Tabu, Karate Zeon are suitable. By treating the tubers before planting, you will protect them from these pests.
Potato flea
Flea often found on potato bushes. Beetles grow up to 3 mm, damage the green tops, the larvae live on the roots and tubers, damaging them. This pest is capable of destroying half of the crop if the fight is not started in time.
The potato flea is actively spreading during periods of high air temperature and low humidity. Dry spots on the surface of the leaves indicate the appearance of pests.
Potato flea control methods:
Use of the drug Tabu every 10 days;
- arrange traps for adult insects;
-- on small area with potatoes, chamomile infusion or a mixture of tobacco dust and wood ash can help.
Potato nematodes
Microscopic wormsare not visible to the eye. You can see traces of their presence on potato tubers and roots. Potatoes infected with this pest stop growing, the lower leaves turn yellow, and tuber ovary does not occur.
Nematode control methods:
Choose varieties that are resistant to this pest;
- to carry out crop rotation of potatoes, and sowing siderates for soil cleaning;
- you can plant potatoes in the same place only after 4 years;
- to process the soil from the pest with urea, tiazone, heterophos preparations.
Chafer
This pest is widespread. May beetle larvae cause the most damage to potato tubers in the soil. The larvae live for 4 years, then the May beetle flies out of them.
Measures to combat May beetles:
Collect and destroy larvae;
- construct traps for adults in April-May (the time when the female lays eggs);
- cover the soil with a mulch layer of straw or sawdust;
- attract birds that feed on beetles and larvae;
- apply fertilizers with nitrogen;
- use chemicals to fight;
- irrigate areas with pests with a weak solution of potassium permanganate or infusion of onion husks.
Medvedka
This pest loves to feast on potato tubers. Medvedka up to 5 cm in size, loves moisture and warmth. Female bears build nests in the ground. Fighting this pest is difficult.
Signs of the presence of a bear are small holes in the ground in the beds with potatoes, damaged plants quickly wither.
Methods of dealing with a bear:
Set up traps in the fall after harvest. Dig small holes, add manure to them, cover with earth. When the frosts come to dig holes, the bears that have wintered there will freeze;
- Dig deep into the soil in the fall;
- Bears are afraid of strong smells of garlic, onions, needles;
- treat with Prestige, Medvetox preparations;
- harvest on time.
Video - Protecting potatoes from a bear and a Colorado potato beetle, a super way
Sowing siderates (especially mustard) after harvesting will be a good prevention of the appearance of pests on your site. Frequent weeding is also important. It is much better to prevent insects in advance than to fight them.
I wish you victory in the fight against potato pests!
It is not for nothing that potatoes are called the second bread. Planting of this plant can be found in almost every summer cottage or garden plot. It is all the more important to know which of the insect pests poses a particular threat to your favorite tubers.
And also instructions on how to prevent the appearance of an "enemy" on potato beds with the help of preventive measures or on effective measures to combat flying and crawling tuber lovers. This is what our today's article is about.
This native of distant America, unfortunately, is familiar to absolutely everyone who grows potatoes. The striped aggressor from the leaf beetle family really liked our climate. Beetles and larvae of the Colorado potato beetle feed on the leaves of Solanaceae: potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, which makes them dangerous agricultural pests.
This insect hibernates deep in the soil, and in the spring it gets out and begins to actively devour the first greens. Even if you keep a close eye on your plot, your potatoes are in danger. This insect is actively moving, so it will not be difficult for him to overcome a hundred meters through the air from the neighboring infected garden to yours.
Plants damaged by the Colorado potato beetle simply dry out as a result. lose their ability to absorb moisture and nutrients from the soil.
During the season, the pest can give several generations (females lay eggs without interruption), and under unfavorable conditions - even hibernate for up to three years.
The appearance and symptoms of the presence of the Colorado potato beetle
Externally adult insect It is a classic "beetle" up to 12 mm long, with a yellow head, with a rounded body and shiny convex elytra with a longitudinal strip. Its larvae are about the same size, bright orange with a black head and two rows of black dots on the sides of the body.
On a note! For the similar appearance of the harmful larvae of the Colorado potato beetle, they are often confused with the larvae of extremely useful ladybug... Be careful - the last gray, "Spiny" with orange spots.
Finding the Colorado potato beetle is easy, just look at the potato leaves. On them (most often at the edges), you can easily notice the characteristic traces of the presence of a beetle and its larvae: parts of the leaf are gnawed. The larvae feed, moving from the edge of the leaf to its center, gradually destroying the entire leaf blade. At the same time, if you turn over even whole leaves, you can see the egg-laying of a beetle from below (many orange eggs closely spaced to each other).
Colorado potato beetle control measures
Fighting the Colorado potato beetle and its larvae is not easy - the pest shows high stability to poisons and quickly develops immunity to them, moreover, it is poisonous to most birds and animals.
Preventive measures include strict adherence to crop rotation, annual deep autumn digging of the site, planting near the beds with potatoes of bitter wormwood, calendula, onion, hemlock.
If insects have already appeared, you will have to try very hard and take complex measures. This is the manual collection of beetles and larvae with their destruction outside the site, the placement of traps with potato peels, the treatment of crops with folk remedies (a solution of birch tar, a mixture of soap and ash), as well as the use of chemical insecticides (Aktellik, Fitoverm, Aktara, Colorado, etc.).
This large omnivorous insect is sometimes called "earthen crayfish" by the people for the shape and size of its front legs. Medvedka is dangerous for absolutely all plants in the garden and in the garden. This pest eats or damages roots, potatoes, roots and bulbs of flowers, shrubs and trees. Both adults and larvae are able to break through their burrows next to plant shoots and drag them underground to eat.
An insect can get to the site both on its own and with imported fertilizer or soil. The bear leads an underground lifestyle, eating everything that it comes across on the way of breaking through its passages and holes. It also hibernates in the soil, in the spring it lays eggs in earthen chambers, and after a couple of weeks the larvae appear, which will develop for several years.
Medvedka multiplies quickly, laying one and a half to two hundred eggs at a time, and quickly gets used to pest drugs.
The appearance and symptoms of the presence of a bear
An adult bear is a large (up to 5 cm) big-eyed brown-brown insect with large front paws. She runs fast, actively moves underground, knows how to fly and swim.
Bear larvae are similar to adults, only smaller and slower. As they grow, they feed on the same resources, adding to the trouble in the beds.
You can detect the appearance of a bear on the site by the sudden withering of seedlings and the surface of the soil, dotted with small holes and loose embankments that appear in places where the insect moves.
Prevention measures against the appearance of a bear include planting plants with a pungent odor (marigolds, calendula) on the site, sifting the purchased soil and manure, as well as adhering to the rules of agricultural technology.
If insects have already appeared on the site, they will have to be dealt with - and, unfortunately, for a long time to do this. Some generally believe that it is impossible to completely remove the bear from the garden.
You can place a variety of traps on the territory (containers with beer or honey, dung heaps). Boiling water is poured into the holes discovered by the bears in the ground, infusion onion peel or soapy water, or calcium carbide is poured (after rain, it will enter with water into chemical reaction, releasing acetylene gas, poisonous to the insect).
Of the proven insecticide chemicals against the bear, Medvetox, Antimedvedka, Medvetsid, Rembek, Boverin, Fenaxin plus, etc., can be advised, which are laid out in the holes during planting of seedlings.
There are, strictly speaking, many species of click beetles. And not all of them are dangerous for your garden. But we will talk about the latter, which themselves feed on young potato tubers and leaves, and lay eggs, from which there are real dangerous pests of agricultural crops - larvae, nicknamed wireworms for their appearance.
Beetles lay their eggs in the soil in early to mid-summer, and the hatching larvae hibernate several times before pupating and turning into an adult insect, becoming especially harmful to plants at an older age.
The appearance and symptoms of a wireworm
The beetles themselves are brown insects with an elongated body, clearly divided into the cephalothorax and abdomen. They got the name for their noticeable ability, being turned on their backs, to roll over on their own with a jump with a sharp click sound.
Beetle larvae are medium-sized, dense, yellow-white, darkening with age to orange-brown "worms" with a dark head and a hard chitinous cover. During the growth period, wireworms actively move in search of food and feed on underground plant organs.
It is quite easy to determine the infestation of a site with these larvae by the presence of tubers damaged in this way.
Wireworm control measures
The fight against the wireworm begins with prevention: do not thicken the crops, observe the crop rotation, remove weeds (especially wheatgrass) and plant residues in a timely manner, lime the soil, preventing it from acidifying and caking.
Biological methods of getting rid of wireworms mainly involve setting traps and baits based on natural products. Every day they need to be cleaned of accumulated larvae and "recharged" again, and this will have to be done all summer. You can also use folk remedies for repelling pests - onion peels, mustard powder, needles, potassium permanganate, etc. A good result is the introduction of predatory ground beetles into the site, if there is such an opportunity.
If the amount of wireworm is too large, you can treat the soil from pests with chemicals (Aktara, Bazudin). However, it is not recommended to plant something in the treated area for some time.
Potato moth (fluorimea)
Potato pests Potato moth The potato moth is a historic neighbor of the Colorado potato beetle. In her homeland in America, she (or rather her caterpillars) has long, since the time of ancient Indian civilizations, damaged potato tubers laid for storage. And only in the twentieth century it "entered the world arena."
This quarantine pest is nocturnal when grown up. The moth lays eggs on the underside of the leaves of plants (mainly from the Solanaceae family), larvae hatch from the eggs, which begin to actively nibble the leaf blades. When the tops of the potatoes dry, the caterpillars descend into the tubers and literally gouge them out from the inside.
The pest hibernates on open air in the form of an imago or pupa under plant remains in upper layers soil, as well as in tubers - at all stages of development.
The main reservoir of the potato moth is precisely the storage of potatoes, where insects actively continue to develop, damaging the tubers and thereby contributing to their rotting.
The appearance and symptoms of the presence of a potato moth
The adult moth insect is a small nondescript brownish-gray butterfly with long antennae and a wingspan of up to 15 mm. The period of activity is from April to October.
One female for her short life (just a few days) can lay up to 200 eggs, from which yellowish caterpillars appear, reaching 13 mm in length in the last stages. Pupae are brown, enclosed in silvery-gray cocoons.
In case of a massive defeat, it is not difficult to notice traces of the presence of a potato moth - the leaves of the plants in the beds are nibbled, the tops droop, the stems and leaves are wrapped in a white "web" (mainly in the upper part), the tubers are deeply pierced with winding passages.
Potato moth control measures
Prevention and biological control measures for potato moth include the use of only healthy planting material, the destruction of weeds, timely high hilling of bushes, harvesting until the tops dry up, storing only healthy undamaged tubers, as well as spraying vegetative plants with Entobacterin (50-100 g per 10 liters of water) at intervals of 6-8 days.
Chemical measures - after the detection of butterflies, urgent treatment of potato bushes with drugs Arrivo, Danadim, Decis, Zolon, Tsimbush, Sherpa, etc. The interval between treatments is 10-15 days.
This dangerous polyphagous pest is widespread throughout the world and affects agricultural plants everywhere - from vegetables and cereals to fruit trees.
The flight of adult insects begins in mid-May. Butterflies lay their eggs on the underside of a leaf blade or petiole of low-growing weeds, on dry plant residues, on the soil. The hatched larvae (caterpillars) do the greatest harm to plants, feeding on literally all of their parts - scraping off the epidermis, gnawing the pulp of the leaf, damaging seeds and roots. Finding caterpillars is not easy: during the day they hide in the soil or at the base of the lower leaves, and go out to feed at night.
Caterpillars leave for wintering with the onset of cold weather - they hide in the ground to a depth of 15-30 cm. In spring, when the soil warms up, they rise to the upper layers of the soil, pupate and give rise to a new generation of butterflies.
The harmfulness of the winter moth is extremely high - one caterpillar of the first generation can destroy 10-15 small garden plants in one night.
The appearance and symptoms of the presence of a winter scoop
The adult insect is a gray-brownish butterfly with a wingspan of up to 45 mm. The forewings are covered with a clear spotted striped pattern, the hind wings are light. The butterflies are highly prolific and lay over 1000 eggs. Caterpillars of an earthy gray color, with shiny covers, reach 5 cm in length.
It is possible to detect the presence of winter scoops on the site by the presence of significant damage on plants, especially young ones - gnawed leaves and root crops.
Winter moth control measures
As a preventive measure for the appearance of this pest on the site, it is necessary to observe crop rotation and cultivation techniques, fight weeds, remove dead plant residues, and regularly inspect crops for the presence of clutches, caterpillars and pupae.
Biological methods of control include manual collection and destruction of insects, attraction of birds to the site and release of the entomophage Trichogramma, processing of plants biological preparations (Fitoverm, Bitoksibacillin, Entobacterin, etc.) and insecticides (Aktellik, Nurell D, etc.). As folk remedies often used infusions of pharmacy chamomile, onion husks, tobacco leaves.
Chemical - treatment with insecticides and pesticides (Kinfos, Faskord, Fury, Tsiperus).
As you can see, there are a lot of people who want to eat potato shoots and their tubers among insect pests. Therefore, if you do not want to give your harvest to flying and crawling "occupants", do not be lazy to observe agricultural techniques and take preventive measures to prevent their appearance on potato beds.
Potatoes are one of the most popular garden crops in the world. It is grown by everyone who has a summer cottage or private plot... A good harvest cannot always be expected because this garden crop has too many pests. Every gardener should own the whole necessary information regarding enemies of potatoes, otherwise most of the crop will be lost.
It is necessary to know what each pest of potatoes looks like in order to correctly determine the methods of control and choose the right means of control. Each pest has its own characteristics, which somewhat complicates the process of getting rid of them. This article explains how to identify pests and how to effectively deal with them.
Pests on garden crops appear for a number of reasons. First, the use of low-quality seed material leads to the fact that a number of pests simply move from one crop to another. Plus, the use of a dirty tool, non-observance of the rules for planting plants (crop rotation) also leads to negative consequences... In such conditions, it is very problematic to collect a good harvest. This is especially true in relation to potatoes, since there is always more of it in the garden than other crops.
The main types of potatoes with photos and names
Each type of pest affects certain parts of the potato: some species eat up tops with leaves and inflorescences, while other species spoil tubers in the ground, rendering them unusable. Therefore, potato pest control requires a special, sometimes large-scale approach.
To combat pests of potato plantings, mainly chemicals are used, since they have highest efficiency... Naturally, in this case, one should not forget about other methods, sometimes insignificant, but effective.
It is almost impossible to find a gardener who has not encountered the Colorado potato beetle in his practice. This is one of the most dangerous pests of potato plantings. Its larvae eat the tops with great appetite, which leads to a decrease in potato yield. Adults feed on both tops and tubers. Due to the presence of wings, they are able to fly from one area to another, where they lay eggs en masse on green shoots of potatoes. Moreover, potatoes are just beginning to emerge from the ground and dissolve the first leaves, as adults begin to lay eggs. It is very important during this period to destroy as many adults as possible.
The Colorado potato beetle in the garden is easy to distinguish from other types of pests by its yellow-brown color. In length, it grows up to 1 cm, no more. Longitudinal black stripes are visible on the wings of adults. The larvae also differ in their peculiar appearance... It can be seen far away on potato plantings, since the beetle larvae are almost red in color. Small larvae somewhat darker, and large bright red or burgundy. As a rule, when there are a lot of them on potatoes, it seems as if the potatoes are strewn with ripe berries. Colorado beetle is able to reduce the yield of this important crop for humans by almost 60 percent.
How to deal with the Colorado potato beetle:
- Gardeners fight this pest with the help of systemic insecticides, such as Sonnet, Komandor, Aktara and others. To get a positive result, potato planting should be processed about 3 times. The last treatment is carried out no later than 20 days before the start of harvesting.
- Good results are obtained by spraying potato tubers before planting with special preparations, such as "Prestige". Using this method of planting, it is possible to destroy most of the adult beetle at an early stage of potato development, which is very important. As practice shows, the beetle develops immunity, and yet, this method is the most effective.
At the stage of growth and development of potatoes, it can be additionally processed with infusion of tansy, mint, black currant, etc.
Attention! If there are few potato plantings, then you can use the method mechanical removal larvae from potato bushes. If potatoes are planted no more than 5 acres of a vegetable garden, then unnecessary processing chemicals just to nothing.
Wireworm larvae grow up to 3 cm in length and differ yellow... Since the wireworm spends most of its life in the ground, it harms potato tubers and the root system of many plants the most. The wireworm loves not only potatoes, but also loves to feast on wheatgrass, so this weed should not be left in the garden. On the other hand, wheatgrass thickets can attract most of the pests to themselves, which will only benefit.
As a result of the activity of the wireworm, thin numerous passages appear in the potato tubers. This leads to the fact that the potato as a result of this can become sick, infecting other diseases. They are able to harm potatoes so that as a result, the potato bush simply dries out.
The fight against the wireworm comes down to the following:
- In spring and autumn, it is necessary to dig deep into the area.
- Timely rid the site of weeds.
- The use of traps helps greatly in pest control.
The female nematode has a rounded body, and the male looks more like a worm. Females first have white color, and then begin to darken and acquire brown tint... One female is capable of laying up to several thousand eggs. After a while, they die off and turn into cysts, remaining in the ground. With the arrival of spring, they begin to actively feed on potatoes. Cysts can be in the ground for up to 10 years, so it is extremely difficult to fight this pest.
Although nematodes are difficult to fight, some useful tips will help to minimize the appearance of this dangerous pest on the site. For instance:
- Before planting potatoes, it is better to treat the site with urea, and after harvesting with lime.
- Chicken droppings, if plentifully irrigate the soil, can destroy up to 90% of such larvae.
- It is permissible to grow potatoes on the same plot every 3 years.
- Affected bushes should be dug up and treated with bleach, in a designated area.
- If a nematode has appeared on the site, then it makes sense to use "Bazudin", which also copes with the wireworm.
This insect does not represent big butterfly, which flies and lays eggs, from which voracious larvae appear after a while. Garden moth larvae can appear on tomatoes, eggplants, peppers and other garden crops. Butterflies are not capable of causing significant harm to the future harvest, but the larvae are easy. After birth, they immediately begin to destroy plants, feeding on tubers and greens.
Caterpillars actively eat leaves, polluting plants with waste products. After that, the plant begins to die. If you do not take any action, then the loss of the crop is inevitable.
- For planting, only high-quality material should be selected. To prevent contamination of the crop, it is permissible to warm the seeds at a temperature of 40 degrees.
- It is necessary to constantly monitor the storage condition of potatoes.
- In autumn, deep tillage will not hurt.
- Before planting, the seeds can be treated with a strong methyl bromide solution.
They are also not large moths, the color of which can range from brown to gray. These insects quickly take root in new conditions and are resistant to poisons. You can fight the scoop only in conditions integrated approach... As a rule, it is not moths that are especially dangerous, but their larvae, which feed on root crops.
Fighting a scoop in the garden involves:
- Constant control of weeds, which contribute to an increase in the number of pests in the garden.
- The use of special pheromone traps, which helps to reduce the likelihood of laying eggs for the winter.
- Application of insecticides to control the moth caterpillars.
These insects can be confused with flea beetles or melon aphids, but these pests love potato tops, feeding on plant juices. In places where leafhoppers fed on juices, dark spots, after which the tissues begin to die off. These areas are also dangerous because various bacteria penetrate through them, which infect plants. In addition, the insects themselves are capable of infecting plants with various dangerous diseases.
To protect potato seedlings, you can use the drugs "Kruiser" and "Tabu". These agents should be used to treat the soil before planting potatoes. If pests appear in the process of crop growth, you should take "Karate Zeon" and distribute the substance around the tubers.
There are many varieties of fleas. Adults reach 3 mm in length and actively eat potato tops. The body of a thin larva has three pairs of legs, and they develop in tubers. When conditions are favorable for the development of fleas, they can spoil a significant part of the crop.