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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Invasive Insect Biocontrol & Behavior Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #380678
Research Project: Sustainable Insect Pest Management for Urban Agriculture and Landscapes

Location: Invasive Insect Biocontrol & Behavior Laboratory

Title: Biological and Behavioral Control of Potato Insect Pests

Author
item Weber, Donald
item Blackburn, Michael - Mike
item JARONSKI, STEFAN - Retired ARS Employee

Submitted to: INSECT PESTS OF POTATO: BIOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/1/2021
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: A wide variety of insects are pests that feed on the potato crop and reduce yields. This chapter reviews pathogens and arthropod natural enemies for major potato pests around the world: Colorado potato beetle, gelechiid tuber moths, herbivorous lady beetles, Andean potato weevil complex, and potato psyllid. Biological control, including pathogens, predators and parasitoids, helps to suppress many of these pests, but by itself, often fails to control pest economic damage to the crop. Knowledge of natural enemy habits, requirements, and efficacy is surprisingly incomplete. More effective biological control would reduce pesticide use with its associated risks of pesticide resistance, and to human health and the environment. Behavioral control, the use of semiochemicals including pheromones to suppress pests, is also promising, and we review its potential for these pests. For several of the major pests, both biological control and behavioral control could play more important roles if integrated with appropriate cultural controls, resistant crop varieties, and selective chemical controls which suppress the pest more than they injure its natural enemies.