Department of Zoological Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Crop Team, Food and Agricultural organization (FAO), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Pest Manag Sci. 2019 Mar;75(3):616-621. doi: 10.1002/ps.5152. Epub 2018 Sep 17.
The potato tuber moth (PTM) (Phthorimaea operculella) is a pest of solanaceous species that causes serious damage to potato tubers and tomato fruits. Control is mainly dependent on the use of synthetic chemicals, which pose a risk to the environment and health of farmers, especially in developing countries where application safety rules are often neglected. In this study we aimed at investigating the effects of a plant resistance inducer (PRI) potassium phosphite on PTM larval population density and PTM parasitoid levels, which can be used as biocontrol agents. We also tested whether intercropping with tomato, which is less attractive to PTM, provided a spatial border to further reduce PTM numbers.
In two different locations over two seasons, we showed that foliar application of phosphite more than halved the PTM larval populations on potato, and that PTM parasitoid numbers were unaffected. No consistent reduction in PTM was achieved by intercropping potato with tomato.
Phosphite reduced PTM numbers in the field without interfering with autochthonous parasitoids, indicating its suitability as part of an Integrated Pest Management strategy. Ex situ choice tests showed that phosphite-treated potato deterred PTM, which could be a reason for the control of PTM in the field. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.
马铃薯块茎蛾（PTM）（Phthorimaea operculella）是茄科物种的害虫，对马铃薯块茎和番茄果实造成严重损害。控制主要依赖于合成化学品的使用，这对环境和农民的健康构成威胁，特别是在应用安全规则经常被忽视的发展中国家。在这项研究中，我们旨在研究植物抗性诱导剂（PRI）亚磷酸钾对 PTM 幼虫种群密度和 PTM 寄生蜂水平的影响，这些寄生蜂可作为生物防治剂。我们还测试了与番茄间作是否为进一步减少 PTM 数量提供了空间边界，因为番茄对 PTM 的吸引力较小。
在两个不同的地点和两个季节，我们表明，叶面喷施亚磷酸钾使马铃薯上的 PTM 幼虫数量减少了一半以上，而 PTM 寄生蜂数量不受影响。番茄与马铃薯间作并不能一致减少 PTM 的数量。
亚磷酸钾在不干扰本地寄生蜂的情况下减少了田间 PTM 的数量，表明其适合作为综合虫害管理策略的一部分。离体选择试验表明，亚磷酸钾处理过的马铃薯会阻止 PTM 的侵害，这可能是田间控制 PTM 的原因。 © 2018 化学工业协会。
