Potato Insects A

Lecture To ToT trainees ( FFS) By

Mr. Allah Dad Khan Provincial Coordinator

IPM KPK MINFAL Pakistan

Crop: PotatoScientific Name: Solanum tuberosumFamily: Solanacae

Greasy Cutworm/ Black cut worm: Agrotis ipsilon of damage:

Young larvae feed on the epidermis of the leaves

Older larvae come out at night and feed young plants by cutting their stems

They also damage the tubers by eating away part of them

Symptoms

Greasy Cutworm

Identification of pest: Larva/Adult Eggs: Creamy white, dome-

shaped eggs, laid singly on lower surface of the leaves

Larvae: Newly emerged young larva is yellow in colour. The full-grown larva is dark or dark brown with a plump and greasy body.

Pupa: Dark brown pupae are found in earthen cells lying underground in the potato fields

Adult: Dark with some grayish patches on the back and dark streaks on the forewings.

Potato tuber moth: Phthorimaea operculellaSymptoms

Symptoms of damage:

  It is a pest of field and

storageLarva tunnels into

foliage, stem and tubers

Galleries are formed near tuber eyes

Potato tuber moth

Identification of pest: Larva/Adult Egg: Laid singly on the

ventral surface of foliage and exposed tubers

Larva: Yellow coloured caterpillar with dark brown head

Pupa: Pupation occurs within a cocoon among the trash, clods of the earth in the field

Adult: Small narrow winged moth, greyish brown forewings and hind wings are dirty white

White grubs: Holotrichia sp.

Symptoms of damage:

Grubs feed on roots and tubers

Grubs feed voraciously during night time

White Grubs

Identification of pest:

Larva:  “C” shaped grub 

Adult: Brown beetle with pale prothorax

Tobacco Caterpillar: Spodoptera litura

The young larvae first feed gregariously and scrape the leaves

Older larvae spread out and may completely devour the leaves resulting in poor growth of plants

Symptoms of damage:

Tobacco Caterpillar

Identification of pest

Egg: Masses appear golden brown

Larva: Pale greenish with dark markings

Adult: Forewings are brown in colour with wavy white marking, hind wings are white in colour with a brown patch along the margin

Green Leaf Hopper Empoasca kerri

Tips of affected leaves become brown, turn upwards and get dried up

Symptoms of damage:

Green Leaf Hopper

Identification of pest:

Egg: Elongated yellow-white egg is deposited in leaf vein.

Nymph: Pale-green, wedge shaped, winged pads extend up to the fifth abdominal segment

Adult: It is a wedge shaped and pale green insect

Green peach aphid: Myzus persicae

Aphids suck sap of plants, as a result of which leaves turn pale and dry up.

This pest also transmits various viral to potato plants

Symptoms of damage:

Green Peach Aphids

Identification of pest: Nymph

It resembles wingless adult but the size is small.

Adult

Whitefly: Bemisia tabaci

Nymphs suck sap from the leaves and lower their vitality

Yellowing and curling of leafSooty mould develops on

affected leaves

Symptoms of damage:

White Fly

Identification of pest:

Egg: Smooth, sub elliptical, stalked at broader basal end with light yellow colour when freshly laid, turn dark brown later on

Nymph: Pale-yellow in colour

Adult: It is small winged insect having light yellow colour. Wings are pure white with prominent long legs.

Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata)

Symptoms The Colorado potato beetle is the

most distinctive pest of potatoes. Both the yellow-and-black striped adults and the brick-red humped larvae feed on the foliage. Feeding normally is initiated on the terminal growth and can be severe. Adults overwinter and move to emerging potatoes early in the spring (May). The adults lay bright yellow egg masses, and larvae feed for several weeks in the summer before pupating in the soil. Emerging adults then continue feeding throughout the season until no vines remain.