Preliminary investigations into the use of trap crops to control Agriotes spp. (Coleoptera: Elateridae) in potato crops

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A field trial was conducted to investigate the use of peas (Pisum sativum cv. Valverde), wheat (Triticum aestivum cv. Capo) and oilseed radish (Raphanus sativus var. oleiformis cv. Adagio) as trap crops to control wireworm in potato fields. We investigated the efficacy of trap crops and distance of attraction by counting larvae in both potato and trap crop rows. Wireworms of the genera Agriotes, Adrastus and Hemicrepidius were observed. In the plots planted with peas as a trap crop, significantly more wireworms were observed than in the other treatments, which was clearly due to the influence of the trap crop pea. The potato rows 0.75 m away from the peas showed 2.4 times more larvae than the potato rows 1.5 m away. This may be due to a decrease of the peas’ attractiveness over time (Miles and Petherbridge 1927), with wireworms that were initially attracted to the peas moving back to the nearby potatoes. In the plots planted with wheat, oilseed radish and the control (bare soil instead of a trap crop), there was no significant difference in numbers of larvae between the potato rows. In the control plots, significantly more larvae were found in the potato rows than in the bare soil. We assessed the damage to potato tubers by weighing them and counting the wireworm holes. Our results indicate that peas are more attractive to wireworms than potatoes and might be an effective trap crop if the right timing and spacing relative to the potatoes is found.