No, perhaps, no other vegetable that would be so popular in our country, like potatoes. But, unfortunately, his tubers suited not only to man, but also to insect pests, some of which are capable of destroying huge potato fields almost in a matter of days, which is called "on the vine".
The main pests of potatoes and measures to combat them
So, what kind of insect pests did potatoes most like?
- In the first place in the list of pests of potatoes is the familiar Colorado beetle to both adults and children. This pest has a characteristic striped color and affects both the potato tops and its tubers. Female Colorado beetle lay eggs on the bottom of the leaves, and in favorable hot weather in a short time from them hatch larvae, which in a short time are able to completely destroy the entire bush. To combat the Colorado potato beetle , many insecticides have been developed, such as Karate, Aktara, Inta-vir, and others. Low-toxic insecticide "Koragen" also produces good results. To protect against pests, the "colorades" of small potato plantations are justified by folk methods, for example, manual collection of beetles, larvae and diseased leaves in containers with kerosene or brine.
- Potato tubers most often become a victim of larvae of the beetle-snapper - wireworm . The females of the beetle-beetle lay eggs in the upper layers of the soil, after which larvae appear after a while. Wireworms live in the soil for 2-5 years, actively moving from place to place at a depth of about 10-20 cm. In the process of life, wireworms make potato tubers in potato tubers, as a result of which the tubers rot.
Help to cope with the invasion of wireworms helps the autumn digging beds to a depth of 20 cm, the timely removal from them of wheat grass, which attracts this pest. - The nematode also poses a huge danger for potato tubers. After the defeat of this pest, the potato bush begins to lag far behind in development and does not form tubers, and on its roots cysts are formed, filled with a multitude of eggs and nematode larvae. Thus, a bush struck by a potato nematode becomes the source of infection of other bushes. To avoid this, timely removal and burning of bushes affected by potato nematode will help.