Potato nematode: how to fight, signs, description and treatment with photo

Before starting a description of such a pest as the golden potato nematode, let's make a small introduction. It is not without reason that potatoes are called “second bread” in our area. It is difficult to imagine a domestic feast without boiled, fried or baked potatoes. Similarly, it is not easy to find a garden, wherever potato bushes grow. Sometimes they are planted in small numbers even in a limited space. And the main trouble for any gardener is when practically the main culture does not really grow. There can be several reasons for low potato yields:

• bad weather conditions;
• wrong or untimely plant care;
• Pest damage.

In addition to the insidious Colorado beetles, the plantations 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 deal with the potato nematode, let's get to know it better.

The pest and its bio-portrait

A nematode is not just one kind of worm, but a whole group of hundreds of thousands of species. According to 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 species.

Golden Nematode

The pest is only a fan of this culture of the nightshade family. The nematode lives in the soil, infects the roots of potatoes, which is bad for their growth. Distributed in 40 countries of the world, including European countries and Russia. Was imported from South America.

The length of the nematode reaches from 0.3 to 1.3 millimeters. Because of such a miniature size, it is unrealistic to see a worm without a magnifying glass on a potato. Its larvae are white, and then, in the process of development, the adult becomes golden, which is why it bears such a noble name. The creature's mouth is piercing and sucking. With this spear-shaped apparatus, the pest clings to the roots, pierces them and dines with 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 its roots and actively absorb juices, provoking plant disease.

The sex ratio of the nematode depends on the weather and the availability of food. Females need more food than 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 up and "gives birth". In the southern regions, the potato nematode is encountered more often - it manages to give out two generations.

Important! The survivability of the golden potato nematode is explained by its high adaptability to the climatic features of the region - it does not care about frost, heat, drought, floods, and even many pesticides. A pest can simply lurk in the soil for a decade and survive perfectly at the same time.

The golden potato nematode is detected as follows:

• plants grow slowly;
• lower leaves die off;
• greens fade prematurely;
• stems are twisted;
• Potato flowering is weak or completely absent;
• bushes die, and tubers turn out to be small;
• yellowish balls are visible on the roots.

On potato lands, the signs of nematodosis are the randomness of areas with underdeveloped plants, simply speaking, crops with bald spots. They appear a month and a half after planting.

The potato nematode does not pose a direct danger to humans, but a poor potato crop can cause serious economic damage.

Nematode eggs are spread by winds, entrenching tools, rains, planting material. The area of the pest is affected by the fact that the owner of the site plants potatoes in the same place. We fight the pest through population control:

• After the harvest, the earth is dug up with lime.
• When planting potatoes, a handful of ash, a pinch of bird droppings and three handfuls of cow or horse manure are lowered into each hole.
• They try to destroy the nematode larvae after planting potatoes, cultivating the soil with chicken manure in a ratio of 1:20 with water. From 5 to 10 liters of ready-made solution are consumed per square meter.
• In the spring, the fight against larvae is done with the help of bait - tincture of potato sprouts. A kilogram of organic material is crushed, poured into 10 liters of water, and this mess is infused for exactly one day. The finished solution is applied to the soil after the application of urea.
• When hilling, fertilize with mineral preparations.

For prevention, zealous owners follow the rules of crop rotation, when lupins, beans or rye are sown after potatoes. Do not forget about the primary methods of struggle: clean garden tools from clods of earth and disinfect. It is also advisable to turn to the use of those potato varieties that are resistant to nematode attacks, for example:

• Aspiya.
• "Lukyanovsky".
• Picasso.
• "Crystal".
• Belarusian and some others.

Stem nematode

This species affects tubers during their growth, 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 scanty dimensions from 0.7 to 1.4 mm, a thin and slightly curved body of a pale milky hue.

A pest underground takes root in the tubers and starts its dirty work. It is possible that the worm remains in the ground from previous plantings. Eggs of stem nematodes stoically endure frosts and practically do not die even in severe cold.

When the larvae grow up, the female is able to lay up to two and a half hundred eggs in a tuber. At standard normal temperatures in summer (plus 20-25 degrees), the development of generation lasts almost a month, more often 25 days. The spread 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 - lush bushiness of the plant and thickening of the stem. Worm infestation detected after harvest:

• white spots are visible under the skin of potatoes - areas of accumulation of pests;
• the peel dries out and freely separates from the root crop;
• black spots appear on the tubers, which increase over time.

How to prevent pet potato disease? To do this, you need to take measures to destroy the larvae and infected root crops. The work is carried out as follows:

• bookmark he althy tubers for the winter;
• creating optimal conditions for keeping potatoes in vegetable stores;
• removal of nematode-infested specimens from the stock.

Careful weeding, application of mineral fertilizers, digging 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, as the nematode remains viable for a long time.

Important! Late potato varieties are less affected by pests than early ones.

Knot nematode

This species can equally comfortably settle both on potato roots and infiltrate 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. At the same time, 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 to the plant, resulting in problems with potato yields.

Pest Control Measures:

• skillful crop rotation;
• treatment of soil with steam or chemicals;
• disinfection of potato seeds and tools.

Moisture deficiency leads to the reproduction of root-knot nematodes, and therefore their increased distribution is recorded in drought.

Aggressive wrestling

If you are not impressed by the previous description, and the treatment of potatoes with folk remedies does not save, then it remains only to stock up on such radical chemicals as:

• "Nematicide".
• Nemabakt.
• BI-58.

And act decisively!

Attention! The nematode is a dangerous and resistant to various substances pest, therefore, with significant areas of damage to the potato field, it is necessary to stop amateur activities and invite the phytosanitary service to your site.

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