Physical and Mechanical

Practices in Potato

Dr. S.K. Dutta & Dr. Badal BhattacharyyaDepartment of Entomology

Assam Agricultural University,Jorhat-13

Erecting 1.25 -2 m long branches of neem plants in white grub infested areas before sunset during the peak period of activity

(April - June) to attract and destroy the adults of white grub

Fig. 1.White grub adults (beetles) on neem tree

Source: www.ainpwhitegrubs.com

Shaking the twigs of the preferred host plants like neem, guava, jamun, ber etc. of adults of white grubs and subsequent collectionof the fallen beetles in an inverted umbrella and their destruction by dipping in kerosinized jar or by burning

Fig. 2.Collection of white grub beetles from host trees

Source: www.ainpwhitegrubs.com

Fig.3. White grub beetles collected from host trees

Source: www.ainpwhitegrubs.com

Hand collection and destruction of eggs, larvae and pupae of white grub and cut worm after ploughing the soil

Fig. 4.Hand collection of white grubs

Source: AINP on white grubs , Department of Entomology Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat-785013

Hand collection of snails and slugs in a bucket containing salt water just two hours after sunset

Fig. 5.Hand collection of slugs and snails

Source: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://blisstree.com/files

Use of saw dust, rice bran, wood ash as protective barrier to snails and slugs

Fig. 6. Saw dust Wood ash Rice bran

Source http://www.google.com

Repeated ploughing of soil to destroy the paths and caves of mole crickets

Fig.7. Mole cricket caves(within circles)Source: http://www.egreenlawncare.com Source: http://insects.tamu.edu/

Collection of Epilachna beetles and green leaf hoppers by hand nets or sweep nets to reduce the intensity of infestation

Fig.8. Sweepnet Fig.9. Insect collection by sweep netSource: http://www.google.co.in

Use of substances such as saw dust, ashe or crushed eggshells placed around the base of plant may trap and subsequently kill the cutworm larvae by abrasive action

Against cutworm larvae, use bait trap containing gram bran (1 kg),

jaggary ( 100 gm), yeast (1gm) and chlorpyriphos (1 ml) at the time

of 1st and 2nd earthing up

Covering of potato tubers with a 5 mm layer of dry sand, ash, rice husk or saw dust also lowers tuber moth infestation

Fig.10.Covering of potato tubers with sandSource: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.thedailystar.net/photo/

Keep the potato tubers in cold storage to reduce tuber moth infestation

Fig.11. Potatoes in cold storageSource: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.thedailystar.net/photo/

Use of light trap to collect and destroy adults of white grub, tuber moth, cut worm moth and mole cricket etc.

Fig.12. Light trapSource: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.thedailystar.net/photo/

Use of pitfall trap to collect and destroy mole crickets, field crickets and cutworm larvae

Fig.13. Pitfall trapSource: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://mcz-28168.oeb.harvard.edu/

Use of Yellow pan trap, sticky trap to attract and kill winged aphids, leaf hoppers, mites etc. Locally available empty yellow coloured tins coated with ordinary grease on outer surface may also be used

Fig.14. Yellow pan trap and yellow sticky trapSource: http://www.google.com/imgres