Before we begin to describe such a pest as the golden potato nematode, we will make a short introduction. It’s not for nothing that potatoes are called “second bread” in our area. It is difficult to imagine a domestic feast without boiled, fried or baked potatoes. Likewise, it is not easy to find a garden where potato bushes grow. Sometimes they are planted in small quantities even in limited space. And the main problem for any gardener is when practically the main crop does not really grow. Reasons for low potato yield there may be several:
- bad weather conditions;
- improper or untimely care of plants;
- damage caused by pests.
In addition to the insidious Colorado potato beetles, the plantings of the nightshade family are attacked by the golden nematode. This is a worm that lives in the ground and infects the roots of potatoes, which can slow down the development of the root crop.
Notice! The pest carries out its insidious plans precisely on the root system, and not on the tuber!
Before we figure out how to effectively fight potato nematode, let’s take a closer look at it.
The pest and its bio-portrait
A nematode is not just one type of worm, but a whole group of hundreds of thousands of species. In this indicator they are second only to insects. A large percentage are herbivorous parasites. The most dangerous for potatoes is the aforementioned golden nematode. Next come the stem and gall. Let's take a closer look at each of the presented types.
Golden nematode
The pest is a fan of only this crop of the nightshade family. The nematode lives in the soil and attacks the roots of potatoes, which has a bad effect on their growth. Distributed in 40 countries, including European countries and Russia. Was imported from South America.
The length of the nematode reaches from 0.3 to 1.3 millimeters. Due to such miniature sizes, it is impossible to see the worm on a potato without a magnifying glass. Its larvae are white, and then, during development, the adult becomes golden, which is why it has such a noble name. The creature's oral cavity is piercing and sucking. With this spear-shaped apparatus, the pest clings to the roots, pierces them and dines on nutrients.
By winter, females lay eggs, each of which can contain up to two hundred embryos.During the flowering period of potatoes, the larvae hatch, attach to the roots and actively absorb juices, causing plant disease.
The sex ratio of the nematode depends on the weather and the availability of food supply. Females require larger amounts of food compared to males. Worm-like men generally have a difficult fate - they live only 10 days, mate with partners and die. Closer to autumn, the female swells and “gives birth”. In the southern regions, potato nematode is encountered more often - it manages to produce two generations.
Important! The vitality of the golden potato nematode is explained by its high adaptability to the climatic characteristics of the region - it does not care about frost, heat, drought, floods, and even many pesticides. The pest can simply hide in the soil for a decade and remain perfectly preserved.
The golden potato nematode is detected as follows:
- plants grow slowly;
- the lower leaves die off;
- greens wither prematurely;
- stems become bent;
- potato flowering is weak or completely absent;
- the bushes die, and the tubers turn out to be small;
- yellowish balls are visible on the roots.
On potato fields, signs of nematode disease are chaotic areas with underdeveloped plants, simply put, crops with bald spots. They appear a month and a half after planting.
The potato nematode does not pose a direct threat to humans, but a poor potato harvest can cause serious economic damage.
Nematode eggs are spread by winds, entrenching tools, rain, and planting material. The pest's range is affected by the fact that the owner of the site plants potatoes in the same place. We fight the pest by containing the spread of the population:
- After the harvest, the earth is dug up along with lime.
- When planting potatoes, a handful of ash, a pinch of bird droppings and three handfuls of cow or horse manure are placed in each hole.
- They try to destroy nematode larvae after planting potatoes by treating the soil with chicken droppings in a ratio of 1:20 to water. From 5 to 10 liters of the finished solution are consumed per square meter.
- In the spring, the fight against larvae is carried out using bait - a tincture of potato sprouts. A kilogram of organic material is crushed, poured with 10 liters of water and this mixture is left to infuse for exactly one day. The prepared solution is applied to the soil after adding urea.
- When hilling, they are fertilized with mineral preparations.
For prevention, zealous owners follow the rules of crop rotation, when lupine, beans or rye are sown after potatoes. We must not forget about the primary control methods: clean garden tools from clods of earth and disinfect them. It is also advisable to use those potato varieties that are resistant to nematode attacks, for example:
- "Aspia".
- "Lukyanovsky".
- "Picasso".
- "Crystal".
- "Belorussky" and some others.
Stem nematode
This species affects tubers during their growth period, as well as when the crop is kept in storage. Potatoes are not the only crop that is subject to pest aggression. The potato stem nematode, like the golden one, is characterized by tiny dimensions from 0.7 to 1.4 millimeters, a thin and slightly curved body of a pale milky hue.
The pest penetrates the tubers underground and begins its dirty work. It is possible that the worm remains in the ground from previous plantings.The eggs of stem nematodes stoically tolerate frost and practically do not die even in severe cold.
When the larvae grow, the female is capable of laying up to two and a half hundred eggs in the tuber. At standard-normal temperatures in summer (plus 20–25 degrees), the development of generation lasts almost a month, usually 25 days. The range of temperatures that do not interfere with the reproduction of pests can vary from +3 to +37. Dampness is favorable for the development of stem nematodes.
Signs of the presence of a pest are lush bushiness of the plant and thickening of the stem. Worm infestation is detected after harvest:
- white spots are visible under the potato peel - areas where pests accumulate;
- the peel dries out and separates freely from the root crop;
- Black spots appear on the tubers, which increase over time.
How to prevent disease in your favorite potatoes? To do this, it is necessary to carry out measures to destroy the larvae and infected root crops. The following works are performed:
- laying healthy tubers for the winter;
- creating optimal conditions for keeping potatoes in vegetable storage facilities;
- exclusion of nematode-infected samples from the planting stock.
Careful weeding, application of mineral fertilizers, digging up the soil at the end of the harvest - this is the golden set of rules that helps repel the attacks of the potato occupier. Owners are advised to alternate planting potatoes in the same place, since the nematode remains viable for a long time.
Important! Late potato varieties are less affected by pests than early ones.
Root nematode
This species can equally conveniently settle both on potato roots and penetrate into a tuber. But the nematode lays eggs only on the roots.Much more prolific than all nematodes existing in nature - up to two thousand eggs. In this case, the roots swell, and the swellings on them are called galls. Sometimes bumps appear on root crops. Lumpy formations block the flow of water and nutrients into the plant, which results in problems with potato yield.
Parasite control measures:
- skillful crop rotation;
- soil treatment with steam or chemicals;
- disinfection of potato seeds and tools.
Moisture deficiency leads to the proliferation of root-knot nematodes, and therefore their increased prevalence is recorded during drought.
Aggressive wrestling
If you are not impressed by the previous description, and treating potatoes with folk remedies does not help, then all that remains is to stock up on such radical chemicals as:
- "Nematicide".
- "Nemabact."
- BI-58.
And act decisively!
Attention! The nematode is a dangerous pest that is resistant to various substances, therefore, if large areas of the potato field are affected, it is necessary to stop amateur activities and invite the phytosanitary service to your site.
