Contents
Potatoes have always been the second bread. This tasty and healthy vegetable is present on the table of almost every person, and the dishes that can be prepared from it are difficult to count.
It grows in almost every garden plot. Therefore, it is so important that the efforts that gardeners make to grow second bread pay off with good harvests. Potatoes, like any garden crop, have their own diseases and pests. But the scale of harm that can be caused to plants from the family of the nightshade beetle, which came from the state of Colorado, is simply impressive.
Harm caused by the Colorado potato beetle
The harm that the Colorado potato beetle causes to plants from the nightshade family is obvious.
- The leaf mass of plants decreases, which leads to a decrease in yield.
- Plants experience stress, which also does not improve the conditions for their development.
- The vegetation of the bushes eaten by the beetle ends ahead of time, this leads to a shortage of crops.
- Moving through the plants, beetle larvae contribute to the spread of late blight, and wounds on various parts of potato bushes are the gateway for infection.
How to deal with a leaf-eating pest
[get_colorado]
The ruthless pest must be fought. You can collect the larvae by hand. Of course, this method is completely safe in terms of ecology, but it is very laborious. The collection of beetles will have to be carried out daily, but this is not a guarantee of the complete destruction of the pest. The beetle can fly long distances, so it will appear again and again. There are many folk ways to deal with a malicious pest. But often they are ineffective, treatments have to be repeated.
Chemical agents against the beetle
When the beetle infestation is large, and even more so if a lot of potatoes are planted, you will have to resort to the help of chemicals.
Means for protecting cultivated plants from insect pests are called insecticides. There are a lot of such preparations based on various active substances. Most often, their range of action is quite wide.
One of these drugs is an effective remedy for the Colorado potato beetle On the spot. This tool copes well not only with him, but also with many other pests of garden crops.
Drug on the spot
Napoval contains 2 active ingredients at once:
- Alpha cypermethrin. In a liter of suspension, its content is 100 g. A substance from the group of permetroids, synthesized by analogy with a natural insecticide based on the pyrethrum plant, familiar to many chamomile. It affects the nervous system of cold-blooded animals, including the Colorado potato beetle, destroying cell membranes, which causes paralysis of the nervous system of the pest. The drug acts upon contact with it and when it enters the intestines of the insect. Half of the drug decomposes into safe substances in 69 days.
- Imidocloprid. It contains 300 g per liter of suspension. This substance belongs to the class of synthetic neonicotinoids and also acts on the nervous system of cold-blooded animals, disrupting the conduction of nerve impulses. Lethal on contact with any part of the insect. The effectiveness of the substance is very high, only about 10% of individuals remain alive. Penetrating into the tissues of potatoes, imidocloprid, due to chemical reactions, passes into chloronicotinic acid, it is an antidepressant for potatoes. Therefore, it has a double effect: in addition to suppressing the Colorado potato beetle, it also heals potato bushes, increasing their yield.
Mechanism of action
Imidacloprid is able to penetrate into the tissues of potato plants. Moving through the vessels, it quickly penetrates the leaves, making them poisonous to both beetle larvae and adults. This effect lasts for about 3 weeks. All this time, potato plants remain a poison for beetles of any age. And even stray individuals will not be able to damage the plants. The effect of the drug will be noticeable after a few hours. And in a couple of days it will reach its peak. Pests of any age are affected. On the spot will act for almost a month. The multiplicity of treatments is 2, but at least 3 weeks must pass before digging up the potatoes. Weather conditions do not affect the effectiveness of the drug.
Mode of application
The instruction attached to the drug recommends diluting 3 ml or one Napoval ampoule in water. Its maximum amount is 9 liters, when there are few pests. Minimum – 6 liters with a high degree of infection with larvae and beetles. After thorough mixing, the solution is poured into the spraying device and the potato plantings are treated, trying to moisten all the leaves.
This amount of solution is enough to process a plot of two acres. Advice! It is better to carry out the treatment when there is no wind and rain, then the preparation will not be washed off with water, and the wind will not interfere with completely moistening all the potato leaves.
Drug toxicity and safety measures
On the spot it has a hazard class 3, it is moderately dangerous for a person, but all animals can be severely affected by its action, therefore it is strictly forbidden to carry out treatments near water bodies or drain the remains of the solution there so as not to harm fish and other aquatic inhabitants. But the drug is very toxic to bees. For them, it has the first – the highest class of danger.
Do not process potatoes during flowering.
There is evidence that contact with the drug may cause poisoning of pets.
You can go to the treated area for manual work no earlier than 10 days, mechanical work can begin earlier, after 4 days.
Processing should be carried out in special clothing, gloves and a respirator must be worn.
Advantages
- Recently developed.
- Does not have phytotoxicity.
- Has high efficiency.
- Thanks to two active substances, the Colorado potato beetle does not get used to the drug.
- Moderately dangerous for all warm-blooded animals and humans.
- The range of pests on which it acts is very wide.
- There are no weather restrictions in use.
- Relieves stress in plants, increasing their productivity.
- Small consumption rate.
- Low price.
Potato plantings need protection from such a dangerous pest as the Colorado potato beetle. In this, the drug Napoval can help well.