Insect and aphid tracking for spud growers

Washington Ag Today April 15, 2011 The Washington State Potato Commission has been funding an insect and aphid trapping program for several years and the commission’s Director of Research Andy Jensen says it will operate pretty much the same in 2011.

Jensen: “With trapping programs for beet leaf hopper, potato tuber worm and then insect monitoring program in actual potato fields for aphids and some other insects in potatoes.”

All the insect tracking information is provided to growers and other industry members through an e-mail alert. The information is also on a website managed by the Potato Commission at www.potatoes.com under research. Jensen says a new format is being tried on the website this year.

Jensen: “Wherein each trap site is represented by a dot on a map and they dot will be in different colors based on the number of insects found there. And it will be a good way to look at the entire map and look to see where the hotspots are and just how hot the hotspots are.”

Jensen says there are few bugs to start the season but as it progresses the map will show their development, though no threshold for action per se is provided.

Jensen: “But certainly growers in some areas will be able to see that they are either at more risk or less risk based on what is going on around them.”

Washington State University Extension helps manage the program which also includes grower participation.

That’s Washington Ag Today. Brought to you in part by the Washington State Potato Commission. Nutrition today. Good health tomorrow. I’m Bob Hoff on Northwest Aginfo Net.