Abstract
<p>The investigations entitled “Pest complex of potato (<em>Solanum tuberosum</em> L.) with special reference to management of white grub in northern districts of Kashmir Valley” were undertaken at Baramulla, Kupwara and Bandipora districts for two cropping seasons 2011 and 2012. A total of 12 pests were recorded on the cropright from sowing upto harvest which were Flea beetle (<em>Chaetocnema</em> spp.), Semilooper (<em>Thysanoplusia orichalcea</em>), Aphid (<em>Macrosiphum euphorbiae</em>), Cutworm (Agrotis ipsilon), White grub (Brahmina coriacea and B. poonensis), Wireworm (<em>Melanotus horticornis</em>), Earwig (<em>Euborellia annulipes</em>), Stunt nematode (<em>Tylenchorlynctus kashmiriensis</em> Mahajan), Lens nematode (<em>Basirolaimus indicus</em> Shamsi), Spiral nematode (<em>Helicotylenchus dihystera</em> Sher. and <em>H . indicus</em> Siddiqi), Root lesion nematode (<em>Pratylenchus</em> spp.) and Dagger nematode (<em>Xiphinema basiri</em> Siddiqi). <em>In vivo</em> observation revealed that Imidacloprid (70WS) as seed treatment registered 97.33, 96.66 and 96.66 per cent good tubers at Kunzer, Budnambal and Ajas, respectively followed by <em>Bacillus thuringiensis</em>, <em>Metarrhizium anisopliae</em> and <em>Beauveria bassiana</em>. Whereas, Mustard cake as soil amendment recorded lowest good tubers of 76.00, 76.66 and 76.66 per cent at Kunzer, Budnambal and Ajas against 74.66, 75.33 and 74.66 per cent in control, respectively. The overall performances in descending order of different pesticides/cultural practices on the basis of per cent good tuber were Imidacloprid (96.88%) &gt; Bacillus thuringiensis (93.55%) &gt; Metarrhizium anisopliae (91.10%) &gt; Beauveria bassiana (89.33%) &gt; Cultural practices (81.33%) &gt; Azadirachta indica (80.66%) &gt; Phalada-111C1(77.10%) &gt; Brassica species (76.44%) against control (74.88%).</p>
Highlights
Potato, Solanum tuberosum L. the king of vegetables known as white or Irish potato is a native of South America
In vivo observation revealed that Imidacloprid (70WS) as seed treatment registered 97.33, 96.66 and 96.66 per cent good tubers at Kunzer, Budnambal and Ajas, respectively followed by Bacillus thuringiensis, Metarrhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana
The overall performances in descending order of different pesticides/cultural practices on the basis of per cent good tuber were Imidacloprid (96.88%) > Bacillus thuringiensis (93.55%) > Metarrhizium anisopliae (91.10%) > Beauveria bassiana (89.33%) > Cultural practices (81.33%) > Azadirachta indica (80.66%) > Phalada-111C1(77.10%) > Brassica species (76.44%) against control (74.88%)
Summary
Solanum tuberosum L. the king of vegetables known as white or Irish potato is a native of South America As per literature it is the most important vegetable crop ranking fourth after rice, wheat and maize being a major staple food crop. In Kashmir province, potato is grown over an area of 1.7 thousand hectares with a production of about 34.00 thousand tons (Anonymous, 2011b). It is cultivated in large tracts and in home gardens as well. The potato tubers are highly nutritive, rich in carbohydrates, proteins, phosphorus and minerals such as calcium, potassium and vitamin A and C. It is reported that this pest may cause 15.5 to 80.0 per cent losses of tuber yield in endemic areas located at the higher hills of Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and in North-eastern hills of India (Mishra, 1995; Misra, 2003)
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