Why monitor? Information CSL links Potato Council
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Why should you monitor your potato crop for aphids?
Potato Virus Y (PVY) is a serious threat to high grade seed potato production because even low levels of PVY will downgrade seed. Many aphid species transmit PVY, with varying efficiency, but the peach-potato aphid (Myzus persicae) is the most efficient vector. The information you receive through the aphid monitoring scheme can bring the following benefits:
Financial benefits
Help you to assess the risk of spread of PVY and take this into account when considering the best time to burn down your crop, thus maximising your yield without risking the virus health of the seed.
Help you in your decision making processes when considering the need for insecticide treatments. Some commercial growers have reported savings of £22 per hectare over two years by being able to reduce the number of aphicide treatments.
Enable you to provide your customers with a full record of your Integrated Pest Management methods and the potential risk of virus transmission. This builds confidence in your customers of the quality of your seed, enhancing the likelihood of repeat custom.
Provide you with information on the potential quality of home saved seed, thus giving you the opportunity to save the expense involved in buying-in classified seed potatoes.
Environmental benefits
The scheme is also good news for the environment. A switch to a more rational use of insecticides may lead to increased levels of natural predators and reduce the risk of aphid populations developing aphicide resistance. Details of how the aphid monitoring scheme works can be viewed here.