With temperatures warming and more and more producers getting out into the field, its important potato growers are mindful of disease pressures that could come down the road. Washington State University Extension’s Dr. Tim Waters said one of the main concerns this season will be the Colorado Potato Beetle, thanks mainly to the mild weather across much of the area. Waters noted one of the things that makes this pest so challenging, is their ability to survive at a variety of soil depths.

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“And then when temperatures get warm enough for potatoes to start growing, they’re going to start emerging from the soil, and mating and laying eggs.  So, when you have a production potato crop that’s been treated with an insecticide at planting, that insecticide from planting will kill these adults as they begin to chew on the plants, or the larva as they begin to hatch.”

But the problem, Waters noted, comes with a volunteer potato left from last year. He said the beetles will start feeding on the volunteer, which has no insecticide on it, allowing for the population to increase. And after time, the volunteer potato will not meet the needs of the beetle, meaning they will move on to neighboring wheat or pea crops. And after time, Waters noted the beetle could migrate to this year’s production crop, which could have devastating consequences.




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