Potato Monitoring
We conduct IPM monitoring for conventional, organic, and seed potato crops. We monitor weekly starting from plant emergence until crop top-kill or harvest. If a disease cannot be identified visually, we can send a plant sample to the BCAGRI lab for a separate fee.
We make recommendations for control only when deemed necessary to avoid economic loss. We provide our growers with a weekly detailed report after each visit.
Potatoes
What we look for
Late Blight
Blackleg
Early Blight
Rhizoctonia
Beneficial insects
and more!
Tuber Flea Beetles
Aphids
Cutworms
Loopers
Lygus
Mites
Thrips
Conventional Mid-Late Season Potatoes
At plant emergence, sampling is performed at regular intervals throughout the field by closely inspecting leaves and stems to determine presence of first generation tuber flea beetles. This is important, as control of the first generation can prevent or minimize damage by the second and third generations. Once plants are larger, we sample pests and beneficial insects using sweep nets. We quantify the levels of aphids, spider mites, and thrips by visually assessing the leaf triplets.
We conduct intense visual inspection for late blight throughout the entire growing season. We make recommendations for fungicide spray schedules based on weather and disease pressure in-season. Recommendations for insecticide applications are made when pest levels have reached an economic threshold that creates risk of economic loss. Field-specific factors, such as beneficial insect populations, are considered before a spray recommendation is made.
Other Services
Organic Potatoes
We provide the same IPM service as for conventional crops, but the recommendations are made within the guidelines of the Canadian Organic Regime. We discuss possible cultural solutions with the client early in the growing season.
Seed Potatoes
In addition to regular monitoring services, we conduct extra monitoring in the fields by a supervisor trained in the CFIA’s seed inspectors training course. They look for viruses, diseases, and the occurrence of foreign varieties.
Conventional Early Potatoes
Early potatoes are top-killed or harvested before mid-July, and therefore the first generation of tuber flea beetles poses a lower risk to the crop. We follow the same monitoring process as conventional potatoes; however recommendations will consider the early harvest date.
It’s important to note that IPM service involves the systematic sampling of the crop to assess overall trends in pest populations and does not involve the inspection of every row in the field.
Let’s grow together.
Reach out to us to learn more about how we can improve your crops.