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Potato
Year-Round IPM Program
(Reviewed 4/08, updated 4/08)
These practices are recommended for a monitoring-based IPM program that reduces air and water quality problems related to pesticide use. Links take you to information on how to monitor, forms to use, and management practices. Track your progress through the year with the annual checklist form.
Water quality becomes impaired when pesticides move off-site and into water. Air quality becomes impaired when volatile organic compounds (VOCs) move into the atmosphere. Each time a pesticide application is considered, review the Pesticide Application Checklist at the bottom of this page for information on how to minimize air and water quality problems.
Note: This program covers major pests in both commercial and seed potatoes in California. Information on additional pests is included in the Potato Pest Management Guidelines.
Previous crop and
preplant
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| Special issues of concern related to water quality: Soil fumigation, fertilizer application, and runoff. |
| What should you be doing during this time? |
| Consider crop
rotation for reducing pathogens,
harmful nematodes, and problem weeds. |
| Manage weeds in the previous crop.
Avoid herbicides that leave
residues harmful to potatoes. |
| Take soil samples to assay
for nematodes immediately after harvest of previous crop. |
| Manage residue from the previous
crop. |
Manage weeds between crops.
- Irrigate to
stimulate weed seed germination after previous crop,
before field preparation.
- Cultivate or
apply preemergence
herbicide as needed to control weeds.
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| Analyze soil for fertility, physical constraints,
and pH, which can affect common
scab. Avoid over-fertilizing
to reduce problems with early
blight. |
Watch for wireworms, especially if there
is a history of damage.
- Treat if needed according to Potato Pest Management Guidelines.
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| Consider soil fumigation for soilborne
pests.
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| Order seed
potatoes of
desired cultivar and certification level. |
Check seed tubers for tuberborne diseases.
- Black dot
- Common scab
- Powdery scab
- Late blight
- Rhizoctonia (black scurf)
- Silver scurf
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| Follow proper handling procedures
for seed
tubers. |
| Consider seed treatments to reduce disease
problems.
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Planting
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| Special issues of concern related to water quality: Insecticide application, fertilizer application, and runoff. |
| What should you be doing during this time? |
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Plant under appropriate soil
temperature and soil moisture conditions to avoid:
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Based on field history, consider a soil-applied insecticide
to control:
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| Fertilize according to soil analysis results. |
| Consider applying fungicide in furrows at planting to
reduce:
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Preemergence |
| Special issues of concern related to water quality: Herbicide application and runoff. |
| What should you be doing during this time? |
| Apply preemergence
herbicide if needed,
according to Potato Pest Management Guidelines. |
| Manage soil moisture to minimize:
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Emergence through
row closure |
| Special issues of concern related to water quality: Fertilizer application, insecticide application, fungicide application, drift, and runoff. |
| What should you be doing during this time? |
| Monitor aphids weekly
(Klamath Basin only). Keep records (example monitoring form and
treat if needed according to Potato Pest Management Guidelines.
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Watch for pests
of foliage including:
- Aphids
- Tuberworm
- Whiteflies
- Psyllids
- Loopers/worms
- Flea beetles
- Late blight
- Early blight
Note presence of pests or damage (example monitoring form and manage according to Potato Pest Management Guidelines.
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| Monitor for tuberworm adults (Central and Southern
California).
Treat if needed according to Potato Pest Management Guidelines. |
| Use hilling to shape beds that facilitate tuber coverage
during tuber bulking. |
| Survey for weed emergence. Cultivate or apply postemergence
herbicide as needed. |
| If white mold has been a problem in previous
potato crops, treat at flowering according to Potato Pest Management Guidelines. |
| Consider fungicide application if there is a field history
of pink rot or leak. |
| Irrigate as needed. |
| Apply fertilizer as needed. Avoid over- or under-fertilization,
especially nitrogen. |
Row closure
to maturity |
| Special issues of concern related to water quality: Fertilizer application, insecticide application, fungicide application, drift, and runoff. |
| What should you be doing during this time? |
| Monitor aphids weekly
(Klamath Basin only). Keep records (example monitoring
form and
treat if needed according to Potato Pest Management Guidelines. |
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Watch for pests of foliage, including:
- Aphids
- Tuberworm
- Whiteflies
- Psyllids
- Loopers/worms
- Flea beetles
- Late blight
- Early blight
Note presence of pests or damage (example monitoring form and manage according to Potato Pest Management Guidelines. |
| Monitor for tuberworm adults. (Central and Southern
California)
Treat if needed according to
Potato Pest Management Guidelines. |
| Based on field history, manage diseases according to
Potato Pest Management Guidelines.
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| If white mold has been
a problem in previous potato crops, treat at flowering
according to Potato Pest Management Guidelines. |
| Manage soil moisture to avoid soil cracking, but avoid
over-irrigation to prevent diseases. |
| Apply fertilizer as needed. Avoid over- or under-fertilization
(especially nitrogen). |
Maturation
and harvest |
| Special issues of concern related to water quality: Fungicide application, application of vine-killing agents, drift, and runoff. |
| What should you be doing
during this time? |
| Where tuberworm can be a problem, use hilling
as needed to keep tubers covered.
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| Monitor for late blight and early
blight. Treat with
fungicide or vine-killing agent as needed, according to
Potato Pest Management Guideline, to control them before harvest and prevent tuber
infections.
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| Look for sclerotium stem rot and consider early harvest if
present. |
| Irrigate as needed. Manage
water for late-season weed control and to avoid disease. |
| Apply contact herbicide as needed for complete vinekill
and control of nutsedge. |
| Allow tubers to mature after vine kill and before harvest. |
| Harvest at proper soil moisture and temperature. |
| Use careful harvesting and handling procedures
to reduce bruising. |
| After harvest, observe crop for tuber
rots, nematodes, and insect damage. Use these observations to decide how stored
tubers will be handled and to assess the effectiveness of
the season's pest management program before planning the
next season's program. |
| What should you be doing
during this time? |
| Use proper sanitation in storage areas
(Klamath Basin only).
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| Use proper curing conditions at beginning of storage.
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| Maintain proper ventilation,
humidity, and temperature. |
Monitor stored tubers for pest problems:
- Late blight
- Silver scurf
- Black dot
- Bacterial soft rot
- Fusarium dry rot
- Pink rot
- Leak
- Early blight
- Tuberworm
- Root knot nematodes
- Leafroll net necrosis
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| Avoid repeated pile disturbance. |
| Store at temperatures
that prevent nematode multiplication if compatible with intended
use. |
Pesticide application checklist |
When planning for possible pesticide applications in an IPM program, review and complete this checklist to consider practices that minimize environmental and efficacy problems.
- Choose a pesticide from the UC IPM Pest Management Guidelines for the target pest considering:
- Select an alternative chemical or nonchemical treatment when risk is high.
- Choose sprayers and application procedures that keep pesticides on target.
- Identify and take special care to protect sensitive areas (for example, waterways or riparian areas) surrounding your application site.
- Review and follow label for pesticide handling, storage, and disposal guidelines.
- Check and follow restricted entry intervals (REI) and preharvest intervals (PHI).
- After an application is made, record application date, product used, rate, and location of application. Follow up to confirm that treatment was effective.
- Consider water management practices that reduce pesticide movement off-site:
- Install an irrigation recirculation or storage and reuse system.
- Use drip rather than sprinkler or flood irrigation.
- Limit irrigation to amount required using soil moisture monitoring and evapotranspiration (ET).
- Consider vegetative filter strips or ditches.
- Redesign inlets into tailwater ditches to reduce erosion. Ditches should not be lower than furrows.
- Consider management practices that reduce air quality problems.
- When possible, choose pesticides that are not in emulsifiable concentrate (EC) form which release volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs react with sunlight to form ozone, a major air pollutant.
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