9-22 IAN Bigger Potatoes

 A WSU entomologist can show you the way to grow bigger potatoes with fewer insecticides. I’m David Sparks and I’m anxious to tell you the story. Right back.

 A group of researchers from Washington State University that includes a post-doctoral entomologist has found that…and before I tell you what they found, put on your thinking cap… a balanced mix of insects and fungi in organic fields does a superior job of keeping pests in check, leading to larger plants. David Crowder is the post-doc entomologist who led the study and he set up carefully controlled potato plots where he could introduce one nemesis to potato growers… Colorado potato beetles. But he also added varying numbers of insects, fungi and microscopic worms called nematodes that attack the beetles' eggs and larvae. The potato plots with the most balanced mix of insects and fungi turned out with greatest success: Pest numbers were 20 percent lower and plants were 30 percent bigger than in the plots with the lopsided insect mix typical of pesticide-treated fields.

 This sounds like strictly organic farming but Dr. Crowder says no. “Our research does show that if you do have more balanced communities of predators they’re going to be better at killing pests naturally which could help conventional farmers reduce their insecticide use.” Sounds like the right thing to do doesn’t it?