Who eats potato tops. Methods of dealing with common potato pests

Potato crops can be seriously damaged by various insects. Since potato pests cause serious damage to plants and can reduce yields, you need to know how to properly deal with them.

We will tell you how to recognize the main pests and properly deal with Colorado potato beetles, wireworms and nematodes with chemical means and folk methods.

The main potato pests: their description and treatment

Potato tubers and bushes can be affected by pests at all stages of cultivation. In our article you will find the necessary information about these insects, their photos, descriptions and treatment methods that will help save the crop.

The danger is represented by potato moth, bear and aphids. All of them cause damage to plants, slowing down their growth and the formation of tubers. Detailed description pests and methods of dealing with them will be given below.

Golden nematode (methods and control measures)

A nematode is a small helminth that feeds on tubers and roots. There are several types of nematodes, but the golden nematode is the most dangerous (Figure 2).

The larvae hatch in the spring and penetrate into the potato roots. Feeding on tissues, they greatly slow down the growth of the plant. The leaves of an infected bush are small, yellow and wither quickly. When a nematode is damaged, too small tubers are formed on the bush, and there are a lot of insects, there may not be a crop at all.

Note: Mass infection with the golden nematode requires the introduction of quarantine. The soil on the site is treated with special chemicals and do not use for growing crops for another 5 years.

To combat the nematode, the following means are used:

• Before starting field work, the soil is treated with urea, and after harvesting it is sprinkled with lime;
• Fertilizer with liquid chicken manure can destroy nematode larvae in the soil. Fertilization is carried out immediately after planting;
• All planting material is carefully inspected before planting;
• Infected bushes are dug up and treated with bleach in a specially dug hole.

Figure 2. Golden nematode and signs of pest damage on tubers

To prevent infection with a nematode, you can not plant potatoes in one place for more than three years in a row. But if pests still appear, you need to treat the plantings with Bazudin, which eliminates not only nematodes, but also wireworms.

Wireworms in potatoes: how to get rid of them

These are beetle larvae that can stay and develop in the soil for several years. At favorable conditions the larvae awaken and begin to destroy the crop (Figure 3).

Figure 3. Symptoms of wireworm damage

Insects are especially active when the soil is not moist enough. They penetrate roots and tubers, burrowing through them, reducing product quality and making plants more susceptible to disease.

How to deal with wireworm on potatoes? First of all, you need to deeply plow the earth in order to destroy the larvae. In addition, in the process of growing, it is necessary to weed out the weeds, and on small areas lay out baits (for example, pieces raw potatoes). They will attract nematode larvae and can be destroyed by hand.

How to process potatoes before planting

Preparations from this insect are very diverse, and differ in the principle of action and price. Similar preparations are used to treat tubers before planting. This allows you to strengthen the plants and make them more resistant to diseases and pest larvae.

For processing potatoes before planting, Prestige or the Russian analogue of Taboo is most often used. Tubers can be processed in a container by simply spraying them with the preparation. In addition, you can prepare a solution and apply it to the wells directly upon planting.

Wireworm Remedies

How to get rid of wireworm on potatoes, if it did appear? For the treatment of bushes use the same drug Prestige. However, there are other means that are similar in action.

You can process landings with the help of chemicals Cruiser, Picus, Imidor or Commander. In composition, they are close to Prestige, but, in addition to the wireworm, they are able to destroy larvae and adults of other pests, in particular the Colorado potato beetle and nematodes.

Chemicals for processing potatoes from a wireworm

To protect potatoes during cultivation, they are treated with special chemicals. They can be used both for pre-sowing treatment and for pest control directly during the cultivation of vegetables.

Wireworm medications include(picture 4):

1. Cruiser- insecticide of system action which destroys many ground and underground insects;
2. Celeste Top- an effective remedy against diseases and pests;
3. Voliam Flexi- an insecticide consisting of two components. It is used against aphids, the Colorado potato beetle and wireworms;
4. force- a drug that quickly destroys the larvae even before the onset of damage to the tubers.

Figure 4. Preparations against wireworm

Chemicals are regularly updated, so when buying, it is better to familiarize yourself with the assortment and choose several drugs for a complex effect at once.

How to deal with the Colorado potato beetle

This is the main pest of potatoes. A massive invasion of these insects can lead to the fact that in a short time only bare stems will remain from green bushes (Figure 5).

Figure 5. Damage to crops by Colorado potato beetles

After germination, potatoes need to be treated with drugs against this type of pest.

What is better to poison

How to deal with these insects on potatoes? Of course, with the help of special chemicals. Common drugs include (Figure 6):

• Systemic chemicals Mospilan, Sonnet, Commander, Iskra. They are applied three times during the entire growing season. But the last treatment should be carried out no later than 3 weeks before harvest.
• Preparations of fungal and bacterial origin Fitoverm, Boverin and Agrovertin quickly destroy young larvae. After one treatment, the drug continues to act, causing the death of insects within a week.

Figure 6. Means against the Colorado potato beetle

You can not use the same drugs for several seasons in a row. Insects gradually get used to certain means, so chemicals need to be alternated.

Remedies for the Colorado potato beetle

Folk remedies also exist. But they are only suitable for small plots because their use is associated with serious labor costs. For example, beetles and their larvae can be collected by hand. But since insects easily fly from one bush to another, this procedure will have to be constantly repeated.

Also, spraying with infusions of mint, poplar, basil and blackcurrant leaves is used to control insects. The strong smell of the liquid will repel insects. The first treatment is carried out immediately after germination and then repeated several times per season. You can plant beans or coriander next to potatoes. The smell of these plants will help reduce the number of pests.

In addition, there is a distracting way to fight. To do this, you need to plant a few tubers before the rest. Large green bushes will attract pests and are much easier to pick up and destroy.

From the video you will learn the recipe for making an environmentally friendly means of dealing with the Colorado potato beetle.

Potato moth is a moth gray color, whose caterpillars destroy the leaves and stems of plants, but do not touch the ripened tubers (Figure 7).

In order to prevent damage to the bushes by moths, it is necessary to control the quality of the planting material. The larvae can be destroyed by heating the tubers in warm water at a temperature of 40 degrees. In addition, when planting, the tubers must be planted to a depth of at least 15 cm, and during the growing process, hilling and weeding should be carried out several times.

Figure 7 Appearance potato moth

In autumn, the soil should be plowed deep to kill the remaining larvae and butterflies, and the tubers treated with a methyl bromide solution before laying in storage. In case of mass damage, spraying with insecticides (Lepidocid, Entobacterin, etc.) is used. Spraying is carried out before the formation of ovaries. This will weaken the insects and delay the development of young individuals.

Protection and prevention

Preventing the spread of pests will help keep plants healthy. First of all, for this you need to carry out deep plowing of the soil in the fall. This will help destroy the larvae left in the soil.

In the process of growing, it is recommended to carry out hilling and remove weeds several times. These plants may contain both adults and larvae. Hilling allows you to loosen the soil to a greater depth, which also helps to eliminate young insects. In addition, tubers can be treated with special prophylactic agents before planting, and insecticides can be used already during the growing process.

Facilities

There are effective folk remedies that will help prevent the invasion of pests. However, they require a lot of labor and do not have the effectiveness of chemical agents. At the same time, in small areas, the use of folk remedies for prevention can be very effective.

During landing in the hole, you can throw a little wood ash. It will scare away insects and prevent the larvae from developing. In addition, plants with a pronounced smell (for example, calendula, basil or dill) can be planted next to potatoes.

An effective means of protecting tubers is the treatment of planting material with a solution of potassium permanganate. The ash solution has the same effect. The ash is simply dissolved in a bucket and the potatoes are dipped into the liquid. This treatment helps to protect planting material from diseases and pests.

Preparations

Chemical agents are considered to be a more effective means of protecting against pests. The most popular drug for prevention is Prestige, and its domestic analogue Taboo.

The finished solution of the drug can simply be poured into the hole when planting or the tubers can be sprayed a few days before planting. After processing, the potatoes must be dried.

The author of the video will tell you how to properly deal with potato pests.

Of all the diseases of potatoes during its cultivation, the main danger is phytophthora, which appears as early as June. First, small black or brown spots appear on the lower leaves, then they increase in size, the foliage turns yellow, the tops lie down and die. Phytophthora never develops on soils rich in copper, therefore, the preventive application of copper during planting and spraying the tops with a solution of a copper preparation at the initial stage of potato growth perfectly help plants cope with this scourge.

How to deal with late blight of potatoes

Before planting, planting material should be treated with "Fitosporin" or a solution blue vitriol(Bordeaux liquid or "Hom") according to the norms specified in the instructions. Repeat the treatment before the last hilling. If phytophthora still appeared, then spraying should be carried out again.

Photo late blight on potatoes

It must be remembered that spraying with "Fitosporin" can be carried out at any time, just before use, the potatoes must be washed with water and only then peeled or boiled in their uniforms. But after treatment with preparations containing copper (bordeaux, blue vitriol, "Hom"), 3 weeks must pass before it can be eaten.

Potato scab - causes and how to fight

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Potato scab is found after harvest. It manifests itself in the form of black convex spots on the tubers. The reason for the occurrence is an excess content of nitrogen or calcium in the soil, usually due to too high doses of nitrogen fertilizers, or when applying fresh manure (how to use manure), as well as during spring soil deoxidation.

On the next year when planting, a few crystals of boric acid should be added to the hole or water the soil before planting with a solution of boric acid (2 g per 10 l of water). In dry and hot summers, scab appears more strongly. On the taste qualities and storage is not affected.

Sometimes the tops of the plants curl and bunch up, growth stops - this is a viral disease, the bush must be immediately torn out and burned so that the insects do not transfer the disease to healthy plants.

Sometimes potato tubers crack. Most often this is caused by abundant watering or prolonged rains after a long drought: the amount of water in the tubers rises sharply, and the peel is torn, then the gap is overgrown with the peel. But there are also varieties with such uneven growth of tubers that cause them to crack. In large tubers, voids are formed due to the uneven flow of moisture into the soil.

Colorado potato beetle and means to combat it

Of the pests, the most terrible is the Colorado potato beetle. Its salmon-orange larva, at first small, grows rapidly and turns into a cute-looking small bug with yellow longitudinal stripes on black wings. This cute bug, like its offspring, is extremely prolific and voracious. If there are few beetles, then collect them together with the larvae in a jar of salt water and then destroy them. Birds (with the exception of guinea fowls) do not peck them, so it is useless to feed beetles to chickens.

If there are a lot of beetles, then pesticides will have to be used against them. The beetle has long adapted to most of them, but there are new drug"Sonnet", which so far does an excellent job with the beetle. As soon as you notice the first beetle or its larva, immediately treat the entire potato field with Sonnet. One ampoule of the drug, diluted in 10 liters of water, is enough to process hundreds of plantings only once per season. The drug is absorbed by the leaves and functions in them all season, without penetrating into the tubers. "Sonnet" destroys the chitinous covers in adult beetles (their wings disappear), and in the larvae the wings do not grow back. Such insects cannot mate and produce offspring.

The best preparation for pre-planting treatment of potatoes from the Colorado potato beetle is. The leader among the means to protect against an adult beetle and larvae is recognized -.

How to get rid of potato wireworm

Another fairly common potato pest is the wireworm (light, hard, strong worm 3-4 cm long). This is the larva of the click beetle, which gnaws holes in potato tubers. The wireworm must be collected and torn in half when digging the soil.

Sometimes it is advised to bury potato tubers that are not deeply cut into pieces and mark this place with a stick. The wireworm will come for a treat. After 3-4 days, dig up the soil and destroy the larvae. This is tedious and unproductive. If there is a lot of wireworm (and it lives in the thickets of wheatgrass), then add Bazudin to the hole when planting potatoes - this is a chemical preparation, but it is neutralized by the time the potatoes are dug. Now a new biological product "Nemabakt" has appeared, causing the death of the potato wireworm. In fact, this is a symbiosis of a bacterium and a predatory nematode, which, penetrating inside the wireworm, eats it from the inside and then leaves the empty shell.

How to deal with a bear

Sometimes potato tubers are literally eaten by soil-dwelling pests: a bear (a large, 4-5 cm long, insect resembling a cancer), gnawing scoops (dirty brown naked caterpillars of a large furry night moth), May beetle larva (a thick white caterpillar with a light brown head ) or field mice.

Against the bear, you can use the drug "Thunder", it also acts against the scoop.

You can make traps against the bear: in the fall they dig holes 40-50 cm deep and fill them with horse manure. Medvedka will make a nest in them and stay for the winter. This place should be marked with a stick, and in the spring, unearth and destroy the pest along with the offspring. With a large population of this pest potato field in the fall it is treated with "Carbation".

The larva of the May beetle can also cause significant damage to the roots of potatoes. The beetle and its larva must be destroyed everywhere.

Another nasty pest is the herbivorous nematode. Nematodes are small (no more than 0.5 mm), transparent, and therefore not visible to the eye thread-like worms that literally filled the whole world. These are the most numerous inhabitants of our planet. They are everywhere and everywhere, including in cell sap plants. When nematodes colonize the plant too densely, it begins to grow and develop poorly. In potatoes, this is manifested in a sharp decrease in yield and chopping of tubers.

The potato nematode for wintering comes to the surface of the tuber and turns into a cyst - the smallest balls resembling poppy dew appear on the peel of the potato. Nematode cysts can be stored in the soil for several years and, as soon as potatoes are planted in this field, they will immediately turn into worms that will penetrate into the tubers. Cysts are easily carried on the soles of shoes from place to place. The nematodes themselves move rather slowly.

What to do if a bad potato crop

If you have a sharp decline in potato yields during good care and healthy planting material, then maybe you have exhausted the soil when growing potatoes in one place for a long time, or you use your own planting material for too long (varieties have accumulated a lot of viral infection, although they look normal on the outside), or the field is overpopulated nematode.

It would be nice to move the potato field to another place for a few years, but if this is not possible, then at least improve the soil. To improve the soil, sow the field immediately after harvesting the potatoes with winter rye. In the spring, mow it down and dig it up along with the greens and roots. And only then plant potatoes. Make when planting in the hole "Azotobacterin", "Phosphorobacterin", AMB, "Fitosporin", sow white mustard.

Update your planting material. Try not to buy foreign-bred varieties, which usually quickly accumulate a viral infection. Heal your planting material by growing part of the planting material from sprouts or seeds. Plant nematode-resistant varieties (but no more than two years in one place, so as not to breed a nematode resistant to this variety).

It is difficult to find a garden plot in Russia where potatoes would not be grown. This vegetable has long and firmly taken pride of place in our diet. However, for some reason, most gardeners believe that tubers can simply be thrown into the ground in spring and forgotten about for several months. At the same time, there are many diseases and pests that are quite capable of destroying the entire future potato crop, if nothing is done. From some viruses, fungi and bacteria, breeders have learned to protect the culture, but with harmful insects With very few exceptions, nothing has been done so far. Therefore, you need to be able to recognize the alarming symptoms in time, indicating the appearance of a particular pest, and know how to deal with it.

You need to start fighting for the future harvest as soon as the first shoots of potatoes appear. Plants are regularly examined for the presence of characteristic symptoms, at the first suspicious signs, appropriate measures are taken.

A mandatory procedure is weeding the beds. Many weeds are "home" for most insects. Save time on weeding with row spacing mulching freshly cut grass, straw, peat chips, humus. Do not use sawdust for this purpose - they strongly acidify the soil, which potatoes do not like very much.

In autumn, the garden bed must be cleaned of all plant residues and dug deep. This will help destroy eggs and insect larvae.

The only pest that breeders managed to protect potatoes from is the golden nematode. Varieties Zhukovsky early, Zavorovsky, Rozhdestvensky, Pushkinets, Latona, Sante, Symphony, Fresco have resistance to it.

An almost universal folk remedy is sifted wood ash. Tubers (and especially their parts) are dusted with it during planting, as well as adult plants. Ideally, this should be done every time it rains. Colloidal sulfur has a similar effect, but it is used less frequently, about once a month.

When using insecticides, it should be remembered that the use of drugs of biological origin is stopped 5-7 days before the expected harvest. Chemicals - in 20-25 days. The latter is highly undesirable to use during flowering. Solutions are prepared in strict accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. The approximate consumption rate is 8–10 l / m². The smaller the drops, the more evenly they cover the plant. Therefore, it is advisable to use special sprayers.

When choosing a pest control agent in each case, a reasonable balance should be struck. It is unlikely that folk "old-fashioned" methods will help with a massive pest invasion. But the "heavy artillery" should not be rolled out, having found several insects.

Typical potato pests

Potatoes are attacked by many pests. Both the aerial part of the plant and the tubers suffer from them. The following are most often found in garden plots.

Potato flea

Adults of the potato flea, resembling small (2-3 mm long) bugs, feed on potato tops, the larvae gnaw the roots. Most often, their appearance can be observed in a hot dry summer, especially if the tubers were planted quite late. On the leaves and shoots appear small depressed areas of brown-beige.

For prevention, you can use pieces of thick cardboard smeared with honey or jam, as well as a special adhesive tape for catching flies. The traps are changed about once every 10–12 days. Those who do not trust folk remedies use Taboo or Phosphamide (0.2% solution). They are sprayed with potatoes every 10-15 days from the moment of germination. If there are few bugs or a small area, an infusion of chamomile flowers helps or dusting the leaves with a mixture of sifted wood ash and powdered dry tobacco leaves (1: 1).

potato scoop

The potato scoop looks like a moth. The small moths of a grayish-brown color themselves do not cause much harm to potato plantings. But with their larvae will have to wage a serious fight. The pest is unpretentious, but prefers shade and high humidity. Scoop eggs hibernate in plant debris in the garden, in spring the larvae penetrate the stems of young plants, gnawing them from the inside. Not only potatoes, but also any plants from the Solanaceae family can suffer from them.

A good prevention of the appearance of potato scoops is special pheromone traps for adults. Also, do not forget about the regular weeding of the beds and cleaning it from dried tops, weeds, and other debris in the fall. Against the larvae, insecticides are used (Inta-Vir, Aktar, Calypso), as well as infusions of marigolds, calendula, and wormwood. Plants are sprayed with chemicals every 15–20 days, with folk remedies every 5–7 days, or even more often if it rains constantly.

golden potato nematode

The nematode is practically the only pest that breeders have learned to protect potatoes from. But so far, not all varieties can boast of having immunity against it. It is almost impossible to see small, almost filamentous worms with the naked eye. To accurately verify the presence of a nematode, you will have to dig out the entire bush. On the roots, spherical thickenings with a diameter of 1-3 mm will be clearly visible.

Alarming signs that you need to pay attention to are yellowing leaves (starting from the bottom), slowing down the growth of the bush, a general decrease in its tone, poor flowering. Tubers on such plants are formed very small or not formed at all. In the presence of potatoes, the pest also passes to them - the skin becomes covered with grayish dents, cracks, the flesh in these places softens and turns brown.

Nematode eggs remain viable for 8–10 years, gradually accumulating in the soil. Therefore, the best prevention is crop rotation. In the same place, potatoes can be grown for a maximum of 3-4 years, then you need to look for another bed for it, on which its “relatives” from the Solanaceae family have not grown before. They suffer from the same diseases and pests.

It is useful to pre-sow the selected area with green manure plants. They not only improve the quality of the soil and saturate it with useful macronutrients. Flax, clover, lupine, mustard leaf repel nematodes. In the spring, 15–20 days before planting potatoes, special preparations of a similar effect can be added to the garden bed - Nematicide, Nemabakt. Tubers for planting for the next season are carefully selected and washed in running water the skin is brushed. The latter also applies to planting material purchased in the store.

In the event of a massive defeat by nematodes last season, the soil is deeply dug up in the fall and sprayed with insecticides - Carbation, Heterophos, Thiazon. In the spring, the soil is loosened, the treatment is repeated, distributing the preparations in dry form over the surface of the beds 25–30 days before the proposed planting of potatoes.

Video: nematode control in the garden

potato moth

It is quite difficult for a non-professional to distinguish an adult potato moth from the potato scoop described above. The similarity is also in the fact that caterpillars mainly harm plantings. At the same time, they destroy foliage, stems and tubers of potatoes not only in summer. Caterpillars are quite capable of surviving at temperatures of 10–12°C. Therefore, if the tubers are stored incorrectly, during the winter they can deprive the gardener of most of the crop. They pollute the pulp of potatoes with excrement, it is no longer possible to eat it.

To prevent the appearance of potato moths, care must be taken that the storage conditions for potatoes are optimal or close to them. The temperature in the room should not exceed 3–5°C, low humidity and good ventilation are required. In the spring, all potatoes intended for planting are carefully examined, those on which the slightest suspicious traces are visible are immediately rejected.

To combat adults, drugs Lepidocid, Bitoxibacillin are used. They are sprayed with emerging shoots from the end of May to the end of July with an interval of 7–12 days. Give a good effect and homemade traps- shallow containers filled with something sweet (sugar syrup, diluted honey, jam).

Caterpillars are destroyed by digging up the soil in spring and autumn, deeply loosening the aisles every time after rain. During the season, high hilling is carried out 2-3 times. Experienced gardeners recommend cutting 1.5–2 weeks before the expected harvest potato tops. In the event of a massive pest invasion, any broad-spectrum insecticides are used to spray the leaves - Inta-Vir, Tanrek, Fury, Mospilan, Aktellik. "Heavy artillery" - 10% solution of Karbofos.

Medvedka

Medvedka is a large insect that lives in the soil. It moves along independently dug passages and in the process of movement it may well gnaw through the roots or damage potato tubers.

Good prevention - special preparations of biological origin (Medvetoks, Thunder, Prestige). The granules are distributed around the perimeter of the beds or brought into the aisles, then the soil is watered abundantly. Their validity period is 20–25 days. Some gardeners advise surrounding the potato bed with onions or garlic, the pungent smell of which allegedly scares away the bear, but this method does not always work.

If there are few insects, holes dug in the ground filled with bait - fermented yeast, beer, millet, corn or barley porridge with the addition of any vegetable oil and a 2-3% Metaphos solution (25 ml / l) help well. It is best to do everything necessary 3-5 days before planting potatoes. Then you can repeat when the first shoots appear, spreading the porridge between the rows. Boiling water or the same vegetable oil is poured into the discovered holes.

Cases of mass invasion of bears are quite rare. Karbofos can help here. Plants are watered under the root with a 10% solution, spending 60–80 liters per hundred square meters. In autumn, several holes are dug in the garden, filling them fresh manure. When it gets colder, they scatter it around the site, destroying the bears who gathered to spend the winter in the warmth.

leafhopper

Cicadas are very small, almost indistinguishable insects with the naked eye, resembling aphids or fleas. They settle on the leaves and feed on the sap of the plant. The leaves affected by their invasion are covered with small pale green or beige dots, gradually dry and die. The cicada is dangerous not only in itself, but also as a carrier of pathogenic viruses. And through the “punctures” left by it in the outer shell of the leaf, spores of fungi and bacteria penetrate inside.

To prevent the appearance of cicadas, tubers are sprayed 3-5 days before planting with a solution of Tabu, Karate, Cruiser preparations. The treatment is repeated when the first shoots appear and immediately after flowering. It is necessary to pay attention not only to the potato bed, but also to the neighboring ones. The cicada does not disdain eggplants, peppers, pumpkins, zucchini.

How to deal with the Colorado potato beetle

The Colorado potato beetle is a familiar pest "imported" to Europe from the United States after the First World War. He is capable, if not fought with him, to destroy almost all potato leaves, leaving only the stems and veins. In this case, the yield drops by 50% or more. Adults are yellowish in color with longitudinal black stripes on the shell, larvae have a reddish-brick hue and black dots.

Photo gallery: what the Colorado potato beetle looks like

The eggs of the female Colorado potato beetle are most often hidden under a leaf.
The larvae of the Colorado potato beetle are able to devour a potato bush in a matter of days, leaving only the stems and veins between the leaves.
Adults of the Colorado potato beetle do not eat potatoes, but they also need to be fought.

The most common way to deal with it is to pick up the larvae from the bushes by hand. In this case, you can’t just shake them off to the ground. But there are also less time-consuming, more effective methods.

• Bitoxibacillin. The maximum number of treatments per season is four. The first is carried out immediately after flowering, the next - with an interval of 10-12 days. The dosage of the drug is 50–70 g per 10 liters of water. The day should be dry and cloudy, the air temperature should be 18°C ​​and above. Individuals emerging from exposed larvae are sterile and can infect other adult beetles, causing an epidemic.
• Colorado. Bushes are sprayed after flowering and after another 5-7 days. For 10 liters of water take about 150 g of the drug. Infected larvae cannot eat, quickly die.
• Bicol. Three treatments are carried out, spraying seedlings and plants after flowering. The last treatment is 7–10 days after the second. Dosage - 15-20 g of the drug per 10 liters of water.
• Fitoverm. It is used when the first individuals are found. The drug penetrates into the body of the larvae through the outer shell, reaching the intestines, paralyzes it. After 3-6 days, the larvae die. The solution is prepared according to the instructions. The treatment must be repeated after 12-15 days, since the drug does not affect the eggs of the Colorado potato beetle. The day for the procedure is chosen dry, clear and warm (18 ° C and above).
• Agravertin. The mechanism of action and scheme of application is the same as that of Fitoverm. But it can also be used for more low temperatures, up to 12°С.
• Boverin. In a bucket of water, dilute 100-200 g of the drug. Consumption is very small, only about 4 liters per hundred square meters. The first time the potatoes are processed after flowering, then twice more with an interval of 12-14 days.

If time has already been lost, and the pest has bred en masse, potent chemicals are used. There are quite a few of them, Aktara, Konfidor, Regent, Mospilan, Tsimbush are most often used. The scheme of application is approximately the same, but you must first read the instructions. For processing, choose a warm, clear, calm day. The best time for the procedure - until 10 am or after 18 pm. Leaves must be dry. Do not forget about yourself - take care of gloves, a respirator, goggles. Usually 3-4 treatments at intervals of 10-14 days are sufficient. It is advisable to change drugs, the Colorado potato beetle has the ability to quickly develop immunity to many poisons.

There are many alternative means of pest control that do not involve the use of chemicals. The easiest way is to build traps by digging deep containers into the ground in a garden bed so that their upper edge is flush with the ground surface. They are filled with bait - pieces of chopped potatoes soaked in a 10% urea solution for 3-5 hours. The bait needs to be changed every 2-3 days.

Other popular folk remedies against the Colorado potato beetle:

• Wood ash. It is sieved and used to dust the tubers and their parts before planting. It is also sprinkled with leaves of flowering potatoes. It is also useful to use ash as a potassium-phosphorus fertilizer during the autumn digging of the beds. An infusion is also made from it - a two-liter jar for 10 liters of water. Ready for use in a day. To make it better "stick" to the leaves, add a little shavings of green potash or laundry soap. Enough 2-3 sprayings with an interval of a week.
• Roots and leaves of burdock, wormwood. Fresh raw materials are finely chopped, filling them with about a third of a 10-liter bucket, the rest is topped up with boiling water. After 3-4 days, the infusion is ready. It is filtered before use.
• Tobacco leaves. It is advisable to grow them yourself. About 500 g of dry leaves are crushed into powder, pour 10 liters of water, insist for two days. Before use, the infusion is filtered.
• Birch tar. The solution is prepared in the proportion of 100 g of tar per 10 liters of water.
• Celandine, horsetail, dandelion leaves. The components are mixed in any proportion so that the total mass reaches approximately 3 liters. They are crushed, placed in a bucket, filled with water and boiled for 15–20 minutes. The finished broth is filtered, diluted with water in a ratio of 1:20 before use.
• Mustard powder. 15–20 g is diluted in 10 liters of water. 6-9% table vinegar (about 100 ml) will help enhance the effect.
• Tops of tomatoes. About 1 kg of raw materials are crushed, poured into 10 liters warm water. The infusion is ready for use in 5-8 hours.
• Vinegar essence. Take one glass per 10 liters, add about 100 g of soda. Freshly prepared solution is most effective.
• Colorado beetles themselves. The infusion is prepared only from adults, and you need to collect at least liter jar. Its contents are poured into 20 liters of water and left for a week in a dark place. Before spraying, the infusion is filtered, diluted with water 1: 3. The remedy must be used as soon as possible.

Video: folk remedies for the fight against the Colorado potato beetle

Methods for the destruction of a wireworm dangerous to the crop

The wireworm (officially the larva of the click beetle) is a thin “worm” pest of a bright yellow-orange color, 2–3 cm long, which is quite difficult to crush. Larvae gnaw through passages in potato tubers, which become "gates" for all kinds of infections. It also has a very negative effect on the keeping quality of tubers.

To avoid the appearance of a wireworm, a potato bed must be weeded, paying special attention to the fight against wheatgrass. Do not abuse rotted (and even more so fresh) manure - it has the ability to acidify the soil.

To prevent the appearance of a wireworm, several granules of superphosphate are placed in each well when planting potatoes, previously treated with the following insecticide solution (Karate, Aktellik or Decis) - 15 ml, acetone - 200 ml, water - 80–100 ml, or onion peel, dry mustard, hot pepper. You can also disinfect the wells by spilling a bright pink solution of potassium permanganate (about 0.5 liters each).

Effective in the fight against wireworm nitrogen-containing fertilizers - urea, ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate. Potato seedlings are watered with a solution (15–25 g per 10 l of water). But they can only be used before flowering - they stimulate plants to intensively build up green mass to the detriment of tuber formation.

You can also prepare traps, the same as for the Colorado potato beetle. Only as a bait in this case, beets, carrots, rotted straw are used. Once every 2-3 days, the bait is changed, the collected larvae are destroyed (they are destroyed, and not thrown somewhere in the far corner of the site).

Experienced gardeners note that the common wireworm is very effective in controlling the pest. salt. But it is possible to treat the surface of the beds with it no more than once every 7 years.

Other folk remedies:

• Eggshell. It must be ground into a powder and sprinkled regularly during the season between the rows.
• Corn and oats. Seeds are soaked in a solution of any suitable insecticide for a day, then sown on a potato bed about a month before planting. The method is good, but only suitable for warm southern regions.
• Dolomite flour. It reduces the acidity of the soil, which the wireworm does not like very much. Norm 1 m² - 250-300 g.
• Nettle, celandine, dandelion, coltsfoot. The crushed raw materials are mixed in a ratio of 5:1:2:2, poured with water for 12–15 hours. The bed is shed with a strained solution.
• Pine needles. In principle, branches of any coniferous plants are suitable. They cover holes or furrows with potatoes immediately after planting.

In especially severe cases, only potent chemicals can help - Bazudin, Metarizin, Kapkan, Diazinon, Provotox. They are also toxic to humans, so precautions must be taken when processing.

Video: how to get rid of a wireworm

Is it necessary to fight the ground beetle

Not all insects are equally harmful. Ground beetles (small black bugs with a golden-bronze tint) bring undoubted benefits to the garden plot, being natural enemies of many common pests. The only exception to the rule is the bread beetle, which can be distinguished by its shorter stalks and an almost matte black carapace. Despite the name, she does not disdain other plants, eating out tubers from the inside and “grinding” potato stalks.

To combat it, the drugs Volaton, Bazudin, Nurell-D are used. They are used 8–10 days after the end of flowering, cultivating the soil. For prevention, you can spray the solution and tubers before planting.

Plants that repel pests from potatoes

As practice shows, the proximity of plants on garden plot may be successful or unsuccessful. certain flowers and herbs, most often with a sharp, strong smell, have the ability to repel certain pests. Therefore, they are surrounded by potato beds, planted in the aisles, sprayed with infusions and decoctions of the leaves.

Calendula, marigolds and chicory will help in the fight against the nematode. For some reason, it is also believed that this insect does not tolerate the aroma of parsley, but this is not always confirmed by practice.

Wormwood, tansy, elderberry scare away many flying insects, as if disorienting them. They will be useful in the fight against potato moth, scoop, cicadas.

In order to avoid the appearance of the Colorado potato beetle, onions and garlic are planted between the rows and along the perimeter of the potato bed. A little husk can be added directly to the hole along with the tuber. Or, during the summer, periodically dig cloves and cut heads into the garden. This pest also does not like nasturtium, tansy, marigolds, coriander, thyme, horseradish, peppermint. Phacelia is also useful in the fight against it, at the same time attracting many bees to the site.

The wireworm is most effectively repelled by beans, beans, peas, and other plants from the Legume family, especially if they are planted regularly in the garden. Also, for some reason, he does not tolerate the aroma of dahlias. The latter are also useful in that they oppress the wheatgrass growing nearby.

Well helps in the fight against the larvae of the click beetle and mustard leaf. Cut and embedded in the soil during digging, the greens highlight specific essential oils with a strong aroma. It can be planted twice during the year.

The first time mustard is sown at the end of summer or autumn, immediately after harvest. Before frost, it will have time to grow up to 50–70 cm. By spring, the leaves and stems will turn into straw. Without removing it from the garden, potatoes are planted. After the second hilling, the aisles are sown with mustard again. She will not interfere with potatoes, but she will take a place that is usually occupied by weeds.

An alternative option is to sow mustard on a potato bed in March or April. When the time comes to plant potatoes, the greens are cut and planted in a garden bed. The second time the green manure is planted in the aisles towards the end of summer.

Potatoes planted in the garden plot are threatened by many pests that can leave the gardener without a crop at all or without most of it. To avoid this, you need to regularly devote time to simple preventive measures. When the first suspicious signs are found, pest control begins immediately. The use of both folk remedies and modern chemicals has its advantages. The specific method is determined by each gardener individually, depending on the situation.

To receive high yield, you should know the main diseases and pests of potatoes in order to fight them in a timely and skillful manner. The most common potato pests: stem nematode, Colorado potato beetle, mole cricket, wireworms, caterpillars winter cutworm, potato moth and many other "lovers" to eat root crops. Among the diseases can be distinguished: potato rot, macrosporiosis, potato cancer. Today we will talk about them and other dangerous potato pests.

The most dangerous potato pests

Wireworms and false wireworms

Pests of the larvae of the nutcracker beetle and darkling beetle, damaging the tubers and stalks of potatoes. Their body is dense, worm-like, yellow in color, about 20-25 mm long.

signs

They harm the fact that they gnaw through the tubers, making long, narrow channels in them. Such damage is a favorable environment for pathogens that cause rot. During the growth period, pests damage the root system, the base of the stems, so the plants are significantly behind in development or wither.

• The fight against potato pests - wireworms and false wireworms is carried out with the help of regular crop rotation, using legumes.
• Spring and autumn digging of the soil for the destruction of pest larvae.
• Liming of acidic soils;
• During spring and summer: loosening the soil, destroying weeds;

Colorado beetle

beetles dangerous pests potatoes, destroying tops and tubers, which leads to a decrease in yield. Very voracious, actively breed. Feature These beetles, in that they are able to fly great distances in search of food. They can also accumulate in the soil during the permanent cultivation of potatoes. The main danger is the larvae of the Colorado potato beetle.

Control and prevention measures

• The decrease in the number of the Colorado potato beetle is facilitated by the collection of larvae and adults by hand;
• Regular weeding, loosening the soil and hilling plants.
• To combat Colorado potato beetles, biological and chemical preparations are used (the biological preparation "Bitoksibacillin", "Boverin"; chemical: "Tsimbush", "Dilor", "Volaton").

potato nematode

The female has a spherical body, while the male has a worm-like body. The female nematode is white at first, gradually darkens to a brown color. After fertilization, females lay eggs, their number is up to thousands of pieces, then they die off and turn into cysts that remain in the soil. The viability of larvae and cysts in the soil can be more than 10 years, so it is very difficult to deal with these pests.

signs

Plants affected by the nematode are significantly stunted, the lower part of the leaf may wither, few stems are formed, root system develops poorly, tubers are formed small or they are not at all. With a weak infection, external signs are invisible. Damage will appear only after harvesting, examining the tubers you can see small cysts.

Control and prevention measures

• Before planting plants, urea is introduced into possible foci of infection, which is then watered with infusion on potato sprouts;
• Careful selection of planting material;
• It is recommended immediately after planting potatoes to water the holes with liquid chicken manure;
• To combat nematodes, special preparations are also used, one of which is Nematicide (it is applied to the soil 2-3 weeks before the planned planting);
• When harvesting, carry out a thorough inspection of the tubers - eliminate the infected potatoes;

potato moth

signs

The pest damages not only potatoes, but also plants such as: eggplant, tomatoes, peppers.

The main pests are caterpillars that penetrate under the peel, into tubers or stems. In the foliage, the caterpillars eat away the inner tissues of the leaves, making many moves, polluting them with their excrement. After such an intervention, the stem of the plant dies.

Control and prevention measures

• To combat caterpillars, a solution of 10% karbofos (45 g per 5 liters of water) is used.

stem nematode

signs

Tiny roundworms (0.3 -0.4 mm) settle in the soil and potato tubers. The danger is that the affected plant does not differ in appearance from a healthy one, which makes it very difficult to fight the pest. Basically, stem nematode larvae pass into young tubers from the mother tuber, or from the soil. Actively developing, by the time of harvest, the tubers are covered with gray spots with a metallic sheen, the peel exfoliates in some places and destroyed tissue is visible under it.

Control and prevention measures

• Since infection in most cases occurs through the affected tubers, for the purpose of prevention, the quality of seed potatoes should be carefully monitored;
• Realize autumn digging, removal of weeds and post-harvest destruction of plant residues.

Medvedka

The insect is a pest, lives in the soil, digs passages in the ground, harms young shoots, gnawing through the underground parts and tubers.

Control and prevention measures

• To combat the bear, they use baits prepared with their own hands from boiled grains of corn, millet, barley, pickled with metaphos (25 g). 15 g of vegetable oil is added to 0.5 kg of grain and mixed well, then laid out in the holes of the bear or directly into the soil, a few days before planting. When shoots appear - lay in the aisle.
• In case of mass reproduction of the pest, the soil of the plants is watered under the root with a solution of 10% karbofos (30-50 g per 10 l of water), the consumption of the solution is 6-8 l per 1 sq.m.
• Also, the finished granular preparation "Medvetoks" shows good results. It is introduced into the furrows between the beds or along their perimeter, then watered abundantly. The granules work for more than three weeks without disintegrating even in very wet soil. After eating one granule of the drug, the bear dies within a few hours.

Scoop caterpillars

Caterpillars damage potato tops and tubers. During the growing season, they penetrate the foliage (sometimes into the stems and tubers) and make many moves. Damaged tissues become a good environment for the development of various microorganisms that cause the development of rot (dry and wet). Stems wilt, warp, dry out, or break in places damaged by cutworm caterpillars.

Control and prevention measures

• To combat caterpillars, scoops use drugs: "Decis", "Tsimbush".

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Potato diseases

Late blight (potato rot)

signs

This disease affects all parts of the plant: potato tubers, stems and leaves. The first signs appear on the lower leaves of the plant, which are more protected from direct sunlight, dark brown spots appear on them, and on the reverse side - white coating. This phenomenon means that a fungus is present on the plant that causes late blight disease. After some time from the infected tops, the disease is transmitted to the tubers.

The disease spreads especially quickly during rains, as the spores of the fungus are washed off the plant and absorbed into the soil. At harvest, the disease is quite difficult to detect, only after a few weeks the tubers become covered with typical spots. When cutting potatoes, you can see brown stains on the pulp. The affected potatoes are not subject to storage, as a rule, they soon rot.

Control and prevention measures

• Use healthy tubers for planting (for greater quality assurance, pre-sprout potato tubers before planting);
• Do not plant potatoes near tomatoes when planting, and keep in mind that it is not recommended to plant potatoes for several years in a row in the same area;
• During the growing season, hill the plant higher so that the resulting tubers are not too on the surface.
• The best effect on the fight against late blight is shown by spraying the tops with chemicals. At the moment the plants reach a height of about 15-20 cm, carry out preventive treatment with a solution of copper sulfate (for 5 liters of water - 5 g of the drug);
• At the first sign of infection, spray the plants with a 1% solution of Bordeaux liquid, which you can easily prepare yourself (remember this recipe, it will come in handy more than once in the fight against other diseases and not only potatoes).

How to make Bordeaux liquid

• To prepare Bordeaux liquid, you will need two containers (preferably glass ones);
• Pour 3 liters of water into one container and dissolve 120 g of quicklime in it;
• In the second container in 3 liters hot water dissolve 60 g of copper sulfate;
• Pour one liquid into another and mix thoroughly. Everything, the solution is ready for spraying!

Rhizoctonia

signs

A fungal disease that affects sprouts, stems and tubers. Tubers that have been germinated in the dark are especially susceptible to the disease. Dark or brown ulcers appear on their sprouts, leading to partial death of the sprouts. Affected shoots may produce side shoots also affected by the disease. On the formed tubers, rhizoctonia appears as hardened dark lumps that are easily peeled off. With this disease, delayed germination, developmental delay, premature wilting and, as a result, a yield loss of 15-20% are noted.

Control and prevention measures

• Planting is carried out with germinated tubers (previously moistened in a 1.5% solution of boric acid), in well-warmed soil, at least 8-9 ºС;
• Control the condition of the soil: follow the optimal watering, do not allow the appearance of a crust on the surface;

common scab

signs

Young shoots and growing tubers are especially susceptible to the disease. Scab appears on the surface of the tubers in the form of rough, dry ulcers, which, when growing, merge into a rough crust. The tissues of young sprouts are destroyed, germination is reduced, affected tubers rot. Plants are more susceptible to this disease - growing on sandy soils, less - on clay.

Control and prevention measures

• For planting, choose only healthy tubers, pre-treated in a formalin solution (0.25 liters of 40% formalin per 50 liters of water). Dilute formalin in a large container into which you can drop a wicker basket with potatoes. Soak the potatoes in the solution for 3 minutes, then let the liquid drain and pour the tubers onto the spread matting. Cover with a tarp for 2 hours. Please note that germinated tubers cannot be processed.
• Avoid growing potatoes on soils that are too calcareous and fertilized with fresh manure - this is a favorable environment for the active reproduction of scab in the soil.
• Carry out pre-sowing tillage with fertilizers; ammonium sulfate (35-40 g per 1 sq.m.), potassium magnesia or superphosphate (30g per 1 sq.m.), or right before planting potatoes, add manganese sulfate to the wells (2 g per well), good mixing with earth.

macrosporiosis

signs

This disease spreads to the foliage, stems, and tubers of potatoes mainly in the first half of the period of active growth. The disease manifests itself in the form of many dry dark brown spots on the entire surface of the leaves, at first with clear contours, and later they increase in size and merge into solid black. The foliage dies off, and after a while the trunk is also affected by gray-brown ulcers, which rot in rainy weather and dry out in the sun.

Control and prevention measures

• Adhere to the principle of fruit change (in one place you can grow potatoes once every three years);
• Plant potatoes as far away from tomatoes as possible, as this crop is also susceptible to this disease;
• Apply potash and phosphate fertilizers to the soil;
• For prevention - once a week, spray potatoes with a solution of copper oxychloride (20 l of water / 80 g of the drug) or 1% solution of Bordeaux liquid;
• Good results are shown by treatment with Polycarbicin (20 g per 5 l of water), Arceride (25 g per 5 l of water).
• For greater effectiveness in the fight against macrosporiosis, drugs should be alternated, as addiction occurs.

potato cancer

signs

very dangerous fungal disease, is one of the quarantine diseases of potatoes. If this disease is detected, the tubers are to be destroyed, and the soil of the site is disinfected, then the soil is no longer suitable for growing potatoes.

At the first stage, small white growths similar to cauliflower heads appear on plants infected with the disease, later they darken and eventually turn black, turning into a mass of mucus. Cancer disease can spread with infected tubers or soil on them, tools for tillage.

Control and prevention measures

• One of the most effective measures against the spread of potato cancer is the cultivation of disease-resistant varieties.

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