Credits: Biovision-Infonet
Category Archives: Potato Pests
Potato Tuber Moth
(Phthorimaea operculella) Credits: Biovision-Infonet This moth is the most serious pest of potatoes in the region. It occurs in Africa wherever potatoes are grown, and it also attacks tobacco, eggplants and tomatoes. The moth is small (measuring about one mm at rest and with 12 to 16 mm wingspan), brownish grey in colour with narrow […]
Potato Cyst Nematode
Credits: Biovision-Infonet G. rostochiensis is indigenous in Peru and is now widely distributed in potato-growing regions. The major hosts of G. rostochiensis are crops in Solanaceae family, potato, tomato, eggplant and solanaceous weeds. PCN are microscopic worms that attack plant roots. The eggs hatch in the soil, juvenile nematodes move to, penetrate and feed on […]
Millipedes or thousand-legged worms
Credits:Biovision-Infonet Millipedes are not insects, but are related to them. They have many legs (30 to 400) with a hard-shelled, round segmented body. They are brown to blackish brown in colour. They move slowly and curl up when disturbed. Millipedes lay eggs singly or in clusters of 20 to 100 in the soil. They live […]
Epilachna beetles
(Epilachna spp.) Credits:Biovision-Infonet Several species of Epilachna beetles feed on the leaf tissue in between the veins leaving a network of veins intact. The adult beetles are oval, about 6 mm in length and reddish brown to brownish yellow in colour with black spots on their backs. They look very similar to the beneficial ladybird […]
Aphids
(Myzus persicae, Macrosiphum euphorbiae, Aulacorthum solani, Aphis gossypii) Credits:Biovision-Infonet Many aphid species attack potatoes. The most important are the green peach aphid (Myzus persicae) the potato aphids (Macrosiphum euphorbiae, Aulacorthum solani) and the cotton aphid (Aphis gossypii). Aphids are mainly found on young shoots on the underside of leaves. Feeding by aphids causes irregular curling […]
Potato Root-knot nematodes
(Meloidogyne spp.) Credits: Biovision-Infonet Potatoes are very susceptible to root-knot nematodes. Root-knot nematodes prefer warm temperatures and are likely to become established in potato crops grown in relatively warm areas. Generally, they are not a major problem in cool climate potato production areas, but can become a problem when potatoes are grown intensively or rotated […]