One of the most dangerous pests of the potato harvest is the potato moth. However, it is worth noting that not only potatoes, but also tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, tobacco and other plants of the Solanaceae family suffer from this pest.
Despite the fact that the potato moth is a very thermophilic insect, it can safely develop not only in the summer. In winter, it can be found in vegetable stores, in which the ambient temperature exceeds the mark of + 10 ° C. To reveal the potato moth, it is necessary to carefully inspect all the potato plantations, as well as all the cultures of the Solanaceae family. During the harvesting of the first harvest, it can easily be found directly in the tubers or in the upper layers of the soil. And if you do not already know the effective methods of combating the potato moth, we will try to help you in this.
How to deal with a potato moth?
In order to get rid of potato moth as quickly as possible, a whole complex of preventive and fighter measures should be taken, which include both agrotechnical methods and chemical protection means.
First of all in late autumn and early spring, it is necessary to plow the infected areas to a depth of 30-35 cm. Seed potatoes, in order to identify affected tubers, should be thoroughly sorted before the planting itself and heated at a temperature of 14-16 ° C for three weeks. Planting potatoes must be at the maximum permissible depth, and during the growing period, one should not forget to carefully plant the plantations, and also regularly water them. Harvest potatoes is recommended earlier than the tops will dry, so a week before harvesting it should be mowed and destroyed. The harvested crop of potatoes should not be left in the fields, as the potato moth is able to find tubers by smell even under cover.
Measures of chemical control of the potato moth should be taken immediately after the detection of the pest. However, it should be remembered that the last treatment should be carried out no later than,
In order to prevent the spread of the pest during the storage period, the potato must be provided with the most optimal conditions. Vegetables before laying the tubers should be thoroughly cleaned and whitewashed slaked lime. In addition, it should be remembered that the probability of damage to potatoes is reduced to zero, at a storage temperature of not more than +5 ° C.
It should be noted that fighting the potato moth takes time, so be patient and this pest will not bother you anymore!