How to Eradicate the Potato Moths Using the Bioinsecticides and Natural Basic Substances Found in Idai Nature’s VEGEX Line
The potato moth (Guatemalan moth, or Tecia solanivora) is a pest originating in Central America, from which it spread to several Latin American countries (Colombia, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Panama, Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador) before reaching Europe, where it is found in Spain’s Canary Islands and northern areas of the Iberian Peninsula like Galicia.
The potato moth is a lepidopteran of the Gelechiidae family that can inflict major economic damage by provoking the rotting of the popular tuber, preventing its commercialisation.
Its life cycle is as follows: adults lay their eggs on the surface of the earth in areas near the stem of the plant, or on tubers protruding from the ground, depositing up to 500 eggs per set, with a high fertility rate, with this oviposition period spanning from flowering to the harvest time. When the larvae emerge they enter the tubercle through a tiny cavity that they open with their mouth apparatus. They then feed on the tuber and produce exuviae and droppings that cause secondary decay, preventing the crop’s commercialisation. Subsequently, when the larvae reach a certain size (19 mm), they abandon the tuber through a circular orifice, no longer feeding, and forming a silk cocoon, with a new adult emerging in a few days.
Because their biological cycle is quite rapid, it is considered as one of the most hazardous pests, to be taken very seriously.
To prevent it, at IDAI NATURE we recommend the following measures:
- The use of certified seeds
- Planting at depths greater than usual (minimum 15 cm)
- Crop rotatio
- Watering frequently
- Eliminating or burning the waste from pruning
- Earthing up to 30-40 cm
- Ploughing the land before sowing
- Cleaning and disinfecting storehouses
- Storing at between 3-6° C
- Pheromone traps, both in the field and in storehouses.
To fight this lepidopteran, at IDAI we recommend our VEGEX line of products, featuring natural bioinsecticides and substances.
Idai Nature’s technical team will provide you with all the information you need to obtain the best results in the fight against the pest, prescribing a treatment specifically tailored to your crop.
