How and how to process potatoes before planting from a Colorado potato beetle?

Processing potatoes before planting from the Colorado potato beetle is a special agrotechnical technique that allows you to protect the future crop from the invasion of pests during the growing season and flowering plants. On the market today there are many insecticide preparations whose action is aimed at the destruction of soil-living insects. The use of such funds can significantly reduce the number of additional trips to the infield for treatments against the Colorado potato beetle. In addition, such events can also be carried out using gentle means that are easy to prepare on your own.

Means for preplanting nightshade

Incredibly voracious Colorado potato beetle with its love for potatoes has become the main enemy of all gardeners who cultivate this crop. This parasite multiplies very quickly and leaves no chance for normal development of potato plantings. A particularly fierce battle between summer residents and insects takes place at the height of summer, when the former try to prevent crop loss by all possible methods, and the army of the latter is already quite numerous and therefore it is quite difficult to deal with it.

So that the fight against the Colorado potato beetle does not become a stumbling block for you on the way to natural, whole and large potatoes, pickling should be carried out before planting.

Professional protection

Often, processing potatoes is not without chemicals. Somewhat earlier, gardeners preferred to use poisons of foreign manufacturers, but in recent years, domestic industry has also been able to release several worthy funds, which in a short period of time managed to win a fairly large number of positive reviews.

On a note! In fact, domestic and foreign chemicals are not much different in their effectiveness, since the active substances in most are the same!

1. "Prestige" - protects plantings from both the Colorado potato beetle and scab. To prepare the working solution, mix 50 ml of insecticide and 3 l of water.
2. "Maxim" - allows you to significantly enhance the protection of nightshade. Many gardeners prefer to use this drug in combination with Prestige. Means "Maxim" can process both planting material and soil.
3. “Cruiser” is a fairly effective disinfectant that inhibits not only pest attacks, but also the spread of viral diseases.
4. “Taboo” is a powerful modern tool that reliably protects nightshade from soil pests. Valid for 45 days. Its effectiveness is independent of environmental conditions.

Advice! For the maximum degree of protection, it is advisable to combine the above drugs!

Processing potatoes from the Colorado potato beetle before planting with chemicals is carried out according to a fairly simple scheme. The tubers are laid out on a dense material, according to the instructions, an insecticidal solution is prepared. The finished product is poured into a spray bottle and then sprayed onto potatoes.As soon as the treated side of the tubers dries, they are turned over and treated in the same way on the other side. The dried material is immediately planted on the beds.

Important! When working with chemicals, use protective equipment: face covered with a mask or a scarf, hands with gloves! Landing is done without taking off the gloves!

Folk methods

For processing tubers before planting, you can use folk methods.

1. Wood ash. In a bucket, combine wood ash and water in a ratio of 1:10. Put the potatoes in a grid and dip them into the prepared solution.
2. Potassium permanganate. For 10 liters of water, 1 g of permanganate is taken, stirred and dipped into the prepared solution of tubers before planting.
3. Boric acid. 15 g of boric acid are diluted in a bucket of water and planting material is etched in this product.
4. Copper sulfate. For each liter of water, add 1 g of copper sulphate, mix and use to dress the tubers.

Resistant varieties

Potato resistant to the Colorado potato beetle during the growing period is capable of producing special substances - glycoalkaloids, which inhibit the development of insects. They inhibit the digestive system of the pest, the larvae grow slowly, and the pupation process takes a very long time. But at the same time, the taste qualities of such a product are far from always at their best, and absolutely stable varieties do not exist at the moment.

Next, we list the most common varieties of potatoes that are characterized by relative resistance to the Colorado potato beetle:

• “Glow” - refers to medium-late varieties of potatoes, has a white flesh, which is covered with a pink mesh skin. From one hectare manages to collect 500-550 c;
• “Lasunak” - the peel is white, the flesh is painted white with a yellow tint. The variety is late ripe. Resistance to rhizoctonia is high, to viral and late blight infections - relatively high. Starchiness - about 18-22%;
• “Svitanok” is a mid-early potato with a pink peel and cream-colored flesh. Resistance to the Colorado potato beetle is relative, but the regenerative ability of the variety after damage is increased;
• "Relight" - has good resistance to soil pests, as it is characterized by a high content of alkaloids;
• "Nakra" is not only a resistant variety to the Colorado potato beetle, but unlike many it is considered quite tasty.

In addition, many gardeners note such varieties as:

• "Table 19";
• Nikulinsky
• "Lugovskoy";
• "Orbit";
• "Pace";
• "Dolphin";
• "Morning".

However, there are still quite a lot of controversy surrounding such varieties regarding their benefits, and scientists themselves show an ambiguous attitude towards transgenic potatoes. Agronomists insist that if the Colorado potato beetle refuses to eat such tubers, then a person should not eat them.

It is safer to pay attention to the pre-sowing treatment of potatoes. Many gardeners make the mistake of planting unpicked tubers, and then spend a lot of time fighting the Colorado potato beetle. Take care of your health, save time and good harvests for you!