Potato nematode: description, harm, fight

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Potato nematode - a disease characterized by clearly visible damage to tubers (see photo). The cause of the disease is a tiny worm that has a thread-like shape. Actually, the name of the disease "golden potato nematode" comes from the name of these organisms ("nima" is translated as "thread", and "oides" as "similar", or "filamentous"). In nature, these tiny worms can be found in the surface layers of the earth (usually up to 10 cm deep), and in the icy water of the Antarctic, and in a hot spring. There are especially many of them in the soil (several million per square meter).

Lifestyle

The potato nematode pierces the wall of the plant cell with its mouth organ-spear and injects its saliva inside, which, in turn, processes the cell into material digestible for the worm and at the same time facilitates the movement of the parasite through the tuber.

Most nematodes lay their eggs either in the soil or directly on the roots of the prey plant. The potato nematode bears offspring in itself, becoming a kind of protective chamber. Each such tiny cyst can contain up to three hundred larvae. Lifespan (or rather,survival) is quite high - 10 years (or more).

Inflicted harm

The larvae emerging from the cyst immediately begin to penetrate into the root of the plant. The substance that the potato nematode injects destroys the tuber cells and thereby slows down its growth. The stems wither, the leaves shrink. The plant drags out a miserable, painful existence. The potato nematode spreads very quickly. Moreover, pathogens of other diseases penetrate into the affected tubers with greater ease. Yes, and the nematodes themselves carry viruses, in addition, preparing the ground for other pathogens. For example, a tuberous nematode produces enzymes that make the plant susceptible to late blight.

Nematode is a quarantine object

"Sick" potatoes were brought from South America and the mountainous regions of the Andes. It was from there that the nematode spread throughout the world. Today, the worm has been found in 42 countries. And this is despite the fact that the nematode is a quarantine object. As you understand, the parasitic worm itself cannot overcome distances of thousands of kilometers. The person carries them. How? It's embarrassingly simple: with planting materials, on the wheels of cars, on irrigation systems, on processing tools, and even on one's own shoes.

Unfortunately, there are more and more places of infection with the parasite. It is possible that in the absence of effective control methods, potato diseases (nematode) will be recorded everywhere.

Protection and prevention

Given suchhigh harmfulness, all gardeners and farmers who find signs of damage to vegetables by this parasite are recommended to immediately report this to the plant quarantine inspection (there are representatives in all regions).

Now we can talk about breeding varieties that are not susceptible to the nematode. Among them are "latona", "anosta", "Picasso" and "impala" (Holland).

There are also new drugs. The nematicide bazamide granulate has already proved itself. It is used before sowing (planting) mainly in closed ground under tomatoes and cucumbers, by uniform dispersion and incorporation into the soil of 40 g of the drug per square meter. The protection of potatoes with this drug has not yet been studied.

More drastic measures are being taken in some countries, from treating production areas with heterophos (80 kg/ha) and thiazon (270 kg/ha) to burying infected leaves in the soil, followed by chlorination (pouring with bleach).