Pest monitoring and scouting in potato

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Pest management actions are based on data collected through pest monitoring, which involves survey/field scouting, pest monitoring though traps and decision making

Pest management action

Survey/Field Scouting

Pest monitoring through traps

Decision making

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1. Survey/Field Scouting

Regular surveys/field scouting should be carried out by

farmers/extension functionaries to keep a close watch on the

appearance of insect pests, diseases and biocontrol fauna, once

in seven days

Records should be kept about incidence of insect pests,

diseases and presence of biocontrol agents in potato field to

assess whether the pest population has reached the Economic

Threshold Level (ETL)

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1. Aphids 20 aphids/100 leaves

2. Potato tuber moth 15-20 moth/trap consecutively for 3

nights

3. Golden nematode 1-2 larvae/gram of soil

4. Late blight Not more than 1 % leaf area

5. Bacterial blight 1 % of plant population

6.Potato viruses 1 % of plant population

7. Soil & tuber borne disease 5 % potato tubers

8. Rodents Working index is 25 live burrows/ha

Pest/Disease ETL

ETLs for some important pests and diseases

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2.Pest population/damage assessment

For sucking pests, population should be counted on three

leaves (top, middle and lower) per plant

Aphid population should be recorded on 34 plants

Cutworms and white grub per cent damage assessment can be

made by counting total number of plants and affected leaves

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2.Pest Monitoring through Pheromones/Yellow Pan/Sticky Traps/Light Traps

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Pheromone traps:

Pheromone traps may be placed in the field @ 20 traps per hectare for potato tuber moth for mass trapping in the field and @ 4 traps per 100 m3 area of the store

Fig. Pheromone trapSource: www.ipm.iastate.edu

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Yellow pan/Sticky traps

Set up yellow pan/ sticky traps for monitoring aphids @ 10 yellow pans/sticky traps per ha. Locally available empty yellow coloured tins coated with grease on outer surface may also be used

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Light traps

Set up a light trap during pre-monsoon season to monitor the activity of adult scarab beetles. Light traps can also be installed to monitor the activity of cut worm moths at least one month before the sowing of potato crop

Fig. Light trapSource: www. oisat.org

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3. Strategy for Decision Making:

Strategy has to be evolved based on the weekly data on

pest/disease and defenders (biocontrol fauna)

Judicious decision for management practices are to be taken

accordingly considering the ETL and pest: defender ratio

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