CULTURAL MEANS OF CONTROLLING POTATO TUBER MOTH (PHTHORIMAEA OPERCULELLA ZELL) AND IMPROVEMENT OF POTATO YIELD AND QUALITY IN THE SUDAN

Damage by potato tuber moth (Phthorimaea operculella Zell) steadily increased from optimum sowing (15 November) to the 5 and 25 December sowings.
The corresponding yield of marketable tubers decreased respectively, as a result of tuber moth damage.

Increasing the sowing depth of tubers from 1 to 3 reduced damage and increased yield.
The application of nitrogen and one re-ridging during tuberization were not effective against the pest.

A third trial also showed the positive effect of deeper planting but that delay in harvesting substantially increased infestation and reduced yield.

Post-harvest trials indicated that infestation of harvested potatoes could take place if the tubers were left unprotected in the field for more than 2 days.
However, spraying harvested tubers with neem leaf or seed water extracts and bagging them in jute sacks efficiently protected them from damage.

XII African Symposium on Horticultural Crops

S. Siddig

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1988.218.34