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Show 154 Utah Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters [Vol. XIV, be made whenever slugs or adults are found to be present. The potato flea beetle, Epitri» cucumeris Harris, and the western flea beetle, E. subcrineta Lec., c.ase damage to potato and tomato foliage almost every year, and some times Injury to potato tubers occurs. The banded fleabeetle, S'j!stena taeniata (Say) and the hop flea beetle, Psylliodes punatulata Melsh, also occur upon ControL-Dust plants with a mixture of 1 pound calcium potato foliage. arsenate dust mixed with 8 pounds of hydrated lime dust, as soon as the first injury occurs. Repeat in 10 or 12 days, and again 10 to 14 days later, when injury warrants such applications. The imbricated snout beetle Epicoerus imbricatus Say, also feeds upon potatoes. The seed corn maggot, Hylemyia cilicrura (Rond.), damages potato seed pieces after they are planted, particularly during cold, backward spring weather. Drosophila sp. maggots are often found working in decaying potato tubers. The serpentine leafminer, Agromyza scutellata Fallen, makes winding tunnels in potato leaves; these have been noticed most frequently in southern Utah. The larvae of the tomato sphinx, Proioparce sexta (Johansen), and the tobacco hornworm, P. quinquemaculata (Haw.), cause damage every year, de foliating potato, as well as tomato vines. The yellow bear caterpillars, Die crisia virginica (Fabr.), sometimes feeds upon potato leaves. Cutworms of various kinds cause injury to potato seedlings soon after the tops come through the ground, when potato plantings are made on infested land. Control. Use the same bait formula as for grasshoppers, the bait being scattered in the evening, before or after the crop is planted. The sugar beet webworm, Lox osteqe sticticalis (L.), attacks beets, weeds and sometimes potatoes. When weed hosts dry up, or the tops on nearby beet rows are destroyed, the web worms sometimes defoliate all potato vines encountered, as they move along The garden webworm, L. similalis Guence, is less com in search of food. monly injurious to potatoes in Utah. The potato tuber moth, Gnorimoschema operculella (Zeller), now infests potatoes in a few localities of Washington, Iron, and Beaver Counties. Leaves, stems and tubers all may become infested. Gontrol.- The insect may be held to a point of very little damage by the following methods, largely of cultural control: (1) Thoroughly clean up all cull potatoes at harvest time, preventing the growth of volunteer potatoes. (2) Prevent the moths and worms from reaching tubers in storage. Do not "shade" harvested tubers with potato vines, as the worms leave the wilting vines and enter the tubers. (3) Cut and remove potato vines a few days be fore beginning to harvest the crop. This is best done before the vines die. be to prevent tubers well cultivated and deeply - ' (4) Keep plants fom hiled coming infested in the field during the growing season. (5) Keep infested (6) Fumigate infested potatoes in storage for as short a time as possible. cellars and storage places with carbon bisulfide, 5 pounds to each 1000 CUbIC feet of space for 48 hours, when temperatures are 65° F. or above, to :educe If po injury in storage. Two or three such treatments may necessary, Cold storage at 37° F. will prevent the con stored all winter. worms. of the (See Utah Agr, Exp. Sta. Leaflet 49: tinued development tatoes are 1-4, 1934). tubers in moist, .Slugs occasionally damage potato vines, and rarely the . heavy soil spots in fields. |
