Pest of potato.

Detailed description of pest of potato and their management

1. Pests Of POTATO And Their Management

2. 1.Potato Tuber M oth S.N. - Phthorimaea operculella Family - Gelechidae Order - Lepidoptera

3. Economical importance It is not native of India but first introduced in Bombay from Italy It is a pest of field and storage. More serious in storage. Host plant Specific to POTATO

4. Mark of Identification Larva Yellow colored caterpillar with dark brown head Adult  Small narrow winged moth, greyish brown forewings and hind wings are dirty white

5. Life history Eggs -  Laid singly near the eyes exposed tubers . or sometimes underside of leaves. Larva - L . P. – 2 -3 weeks Pupa - Pupation in soil , in earthen cocoons P.P - 7 to 10 days. No of generation . - 8-9 / year.

6. Nature of damage In early stage – injurious to the plant as like leaf miner. It caterpillar bore into petioles and terminal shoot . The caterpillar bore the tubers and feed on pulp as result potato rot . The presence of black excreta near the eye bud helps to detect its presence in the tuber . On cutting such tubers find the larvae in the pulp .

7. Injurious As Like Leaf Miner.

8. Presence of black excreta near the eye bud Find the larvae in the pulp

9. Management In Field Select healthy tubers Avoid shallow planting of tubers. Plant the tubers to a depth at 10 - 15 cm deep Install pheromone traps at 15/ha. Collect and destroy all the infested tubers from the field Do not leave the harvested tubers in the field overnight Adopt intercropping with chilies, onion or peas.

10. Do earthing up at 60 days after planting to avoid female moths laying eggs on the exposed tubers. Release egg larval parasitoid: Chelonus blackburnii @60,000 adults/ha in four releases at weekly interval Release egg larval parasitoid: Copidosoma koehleri @20000 mummies /ha at 7 days interval starting 45 days after planting. Spray NSKE @ 5 % Spray quinalphos 25 EC @2ml/lit of water to manage foliar damage

11. In storage – Should be stored in well ventilated cool and dry places with temp not exceeding 21 0C . Covering of tubers with 1 layer of dry sand which is highly effective Fumigant tubers with CS2 @1kg /27 cu.m.for 48 hrs Walls of godown should be sprayed 1.5% Carbaryl at an interval of three months. Release egg larval parasitoid: Chelonus blackburnii @ 200 adults/quintals Release egg larval parasitoid: Copidosoma koehleri @ 500 adult / ha . Spray Bacillus thuringiensis @1 kg/ha at 10 days interval Cover the upper surface of potato tubers with the branches of Lantana and Eupatorium to repel the ovipositing moth in the godown

12. 2.Cut worms S.N. - Agrotis ipsilon Family - Noctuidae Order - Lepidoptera

13. Cutworm

14. Economical importance Important pest ,It causes severe damage in seedling stage . Damage percentage – 12-35% Host plant Potato ,Pulses, Barley ,Oat ,Tobacco , Pea,gram Cotton , Chilli , Brinjal .

15. Mark of Identification Adult medium size ,stout with greenish brown ,wavy lines & spots on forewings. Caterpillar 4-5 cm long ,dirty black in color Habit of coiling at slightly touch.

16. Life history Eggs - on ventral leaf surface in moist soil. Larva - L .P. - 3-5 Weeks Pupa - in soil ..earthen cocoon Life cycle completed – 5-9 weeks. S.O. - Pest active in cool climate from October

17. Egg Potato cutworm Larva Adult Pupa

18. Nature Of Damage The caterpillar hide during day in cracks and crevices in soil or in debris around the plant . During night caterpillar cut seedlings near the ground level on feed on tender leaves of cut plant. The destruction is much more than actual feeding

19. Potato cutworm

20. Control Measures C lean cultivation Heaps of green grasses kept at infested field during evening and collect next day early in the morning along with caterpillar 5% carbaryl poison bait @ 25-60 kg/ha Apply lindane dust@ 125 kg/ha before planting of potato.

21. 3 .Epilachna beetle/ Spotted leaf beetle / Hadda beetle S.N - Epilachna dodecastigma Family - Coccinellidae Order - Coleoptera

22. Mark of Identification Beetle Small round to slightly oblong in shape It is light brick red or pinkish in colour bearing 12-28 small black dots on the pronotum and elytra . Grub The freshly hatched grub is yellowish and turns to creamy yellow white, when full grown. The grub is broad in front and narrows posteriorly and is covered with spiny structures all over .

23. Epilachna B eetle

24. Life history Eggs are laid generally on the under surface of leaves. Larval period lasts for 10-35 days Pupation takes place on the leaf surface . The pupal period varies from 3-6 days Total life cycle takes 17 to 50 days.

25. Nature Of Damage Both the grub and beetle eat the chlorophyll of the leaf in between the veins and cause S keletonized patches on leaves.

26. Control Measures Hand picking will prove effective as the beetles are sluggish during the morning hours. If the area is small, collection and destroying the egg masses which can be spotted easily. Egg parasitoid- Tetrastichus ovularum , larval parasitoid - Uga menoni suppress the population during March – July Foliar spray with DDVP 1 ml/l in nursery as well as planted crop or carbaryl 3 g/l or profenofos 2ml/l or quinalphos 2 ml/l.

27. 4.Green Leaf Hopper S.N. - Empoasca kerri Family - Cicadellidae Order - Hemiptera

28. Mark of Identification Egg : Elongated yellow-white egg is deposited in leaf vein. Nymph : Pale-green, wedge shaped, winged Adult : It is a wedge shaped and pale green insect

29. Green Leaf Hopper

30. Nature of damage . Nymph and adult suck the cell sap from leaves . As result leaves wither and turn yellowish. Tips of affected leaves become brown, turn upwards and get dried up

31. Control Measures Spray Dimethoate 30 EC 2ml /lit Spray P hosphomidon 2ml/lit

32. 5.Mite S.N. - Hemitarsonemus latus Family - Tetranychidae Order - Acarina

33. Nature of damage . They suck the cell sap from leaves . As result leaves wither and turn yellowish.

34. Control Measures. Spray with 0.2 % Sulphur Dusting with Sulphur @ 20 -25 kg /ha . Spray with 0.03 % dicofol or abamectin @ 150 ml /ha .