About Potato Defects, Pests and Diseases

The Andean potato weevil complex consists of at least 14 species with 12 in the genus Premnotrypes and two in the genus Rhigopsidius and Phyrdenus. The most important species attacking potato are Premnotrypes vorax, P. latithorax and P. suturicallus. All Premnotrypes species show sexual dimorphism; the females (6.8–8.0 mm) are larger than males (5.6–7.5 mm).

Army worms feed on a wide range of crops and are important pests especially in cereals. However. they have also been reported to feed on potato in absence of the primary hosts.

The genera Pectobacterium is a member of the ß-Proteobacteria in the family Pectobacteriaceae within the order Enterobacterales. The Pectobacteriaceae family also contains the genera Brenneria, Dickeya, Lonsdalea, and Sodalis (Adeolu et al. 2016). Pectobacterium originally belonged to the genus Erwinia (Winslow et al. 1917) with the name Pectobacterium being proposed by Waldee (1942).

The genus Ralstonia is classified in the ß-Proteobacteria within the family Burkholderiaceae. The species complex of Ralstonia solanacearum has long been recognized as a group of phenotypically diverse strains, originally characterized as pathogenic races and biovars (Buddenhagen 1962; Hayward 1964).

Cutworms are larvae of several noctuid moth species which are cosmopolitan. Most widely distributed are the black cutworm (Agrotis ipsilon), the variegated cutworm (Peridroma saucia) and the turnip moth (Agrotis segetum). Their origin is uncertain but specimens which were used to describe A. ipsilon in 1766 were collected from Austria.

Flea beetles are small beetles and jump easily in the foliage of plants. Their feeding results in characteristic circular holes less than 3 mm in diameter. Larvae that feed on roots, stolons, and tubers also cause damage. They bore the tubers superficially or scratch the skin, thus facilitating penetration of pathogenic fungi.

Potato ladybirds are polyphagous species feeding on a variety of plant species. However, most severe damage is usually reported for Solanaceae’s crops, including potato.

Discover information on potato leaf beetles at PotatoPro. Explore identification, damage they cause, and effective control methods for growers.

Mites are polyphagous. Major hosts are potato, tomato, tobacco, pepper, eggplant, pumpkins and squashes, cucumber, watermelon, celery, maize, beans, strawberry, cotton, citrus, papaya.

The pea leafminer Liriomyza huidobrensis is an agricultural pest endemic to South America. Since the early 1980s, the pest has been also recorded in many other countries around the world, presumably associated with the global trade of ornamental plants.