Common name: Potato moth
Scientific name: Phthorimaea operculella
Order: Lepidoptera
Affects: Potato and tobacco (also tomato, eggplant, pepper, etc.)
Main season: Spring, summer and fall
Phthorimaea operculella is a gelechiid moth belonging to the Gelechiidae family. It is native to America, but has spread all over the world. It affects all types of the Solanaceae plant family, such as tobacco, aubergines, tomatoes, peppers and especially potatoes. Its attacks are very serious because the caterpillar lives inside the potatoes and the damages are revealed when the potatoes are stored in the warehouses.
The adult potato tuber moth is a small moth measuring 7 to 9 mm long. Its wings are a grey colour with black spots and frayed edges. The larva is a whitish-pink colour with a brown head. They pupate inside a light-coloured cocoon. The eggs are oval and white to begin with, but later darken.
Back view
Front view
They prefer to grow in warmer climates where they can produce up to 7 generations each year. The females attack the potatoes at night or late afternoon and have a very short life. They prefer to lay their eggs inside potatoes, but they can also lay them in the stems and on other wild or cultivated Solanaceae.
Phthorimaea operculella larva and pupa
Phthorimaea operculella pupa inside a larval tunnel
LThe larva penetrates the plant and lives as a miner in the leaves and stem. It creates galleries at the base of the buds in potatoes. Inside the potato, the caterpillar excavates superficial galleries at first, and then deeper galleries. At the end of its growth period, it usually abandons the gallery to pupate, although it can also do this inside the potato.
In places with higher temperatures such as warehouses, the cycle is repeated in winter. In colder conditions, for example in fields, it hibernates in the form of a pupa.
Developmental stages of Phthorimaea operculella: A) egg, B) larva, C) pupa y D) adults (female on the left and male on the right). Photos courtesy of CIP
The damage caused in the stem are not very serious. In contrast, the damage caused to potatoes stored in warehouses can be substantial.
The potatoes that have been attacked are easily recognised because the larva excrements can be seen near the buds and in the entry holes of the potato. At first, the excrements are white, but later turn a blackish colour, giving the potatoes a characteristic appearance that reveals the presence of the insect.
Although it has been said that the moth also attacks the stem, the most serious damage is carried out inside the potatoes, when they are piled up in fields or warehouses. This is because the galleries excavated by the larvae are later invaded by different types of fungi and bacteria that cause the potatoes to rot, subsequently losing them.
1 to 2 traps per hectare should be placed at the same height as the crops or on a specific support.
The traps should be placed in spring.
POTATO CROPS IN FIELDS:
For mass trapping, the amount of traps per surface area must be increased, depending on the location and uniformity of the plots. One trap controls a surface area between 500 and 1.000 m2. This means a density of 10 to 20 traps per hectare.
STORED POTATOS IN WAREHOUSES:
The traps should be placed where there is more possibility of finding the potato tuber moth and at specific points of the food production process, where rapid detection of the presence of these insects is important. In warehouses with a smaller quantity of stored produce, it is also convenient to place traps. In places where the moths are most active, traps should be monitored weekly to observe the amount of captured insects. In other areas, every 15 days.
In warehouses, the density of traps is a minimum of 3 traps and a maximum of 9 traps per 1.0002. Enclosures near to the infected area should have traps, as well as the corridors that are connected to this area. If the corridors come out directly from the infected area, they should have 2 traps placed (one in front of the other).
A trap ECONEX POLILLERO, ECONEX FOLDING WHITE TRIANGULAR WITHOUT SHEETS or ECONEX DISPOSABLE WHITE TRIANGULAR, and a pheromone diffuser ECONEX PHTHORIMAEA OPERCULELLA 2 MG 60 DAYS.
The trap ECONEX FOLDING WHITE TRIANGULAR WITHOUT SHEETS is activated by placing an ECONEX SHEET FOR TRIANGULAR 1 UNIT on its base. The sheet is coated with a pressure-sensitive adhesive, solvent free, in which the insects are trapped
ECONEX PHTHORIMAEA OPERCULELLA 2 MG 60 DAYS
Sexual pheromone diffuser of the species Phthorimaea operculella to attract males, with a duration of 60 days in normal field conditions.
Code: UIPHOVA042
OMDF register number (Ministry of Agriculture of Spain): 075/2013
ECONEX FOLDING WHITE TRIANGULAR WITHOUT SHEETS
28x20x11 cm, hanger included.
Code: UIPFETA273
OMDF register number (Ministry of Agriculture of Spain): 064/2014
ECONEX SHEET FOR TRIANGULAR 1 UNIT PACK
Sticky sheet of 20 x 19 cm.
Code: UIPFETA248
OMDF register number (Ministry of Agriculture of Spain): 048/2024
ECONEX POLILLERO
It is the most suitable trap for the majority of lepidopterans, especially large moths.
Code: UIPFETA001
OMDF register number (Ministry of Agriculture of Spain): 123/2015
ECONEX DISPOSABLE WHITE TRIANGULAR
Code: UIPFETA242
The pest population, the bordering crops, level of control required, etc….
One important factor is the size of the crops. In small and irregular crops, a greater number of traps are required than in larger and more uniform plots.
Another important factor is the distance between plots that have Phthorimaea operculella. In cases like this, the borders of the plots must be reinforced, so it could be necessary to place up to 20 traps per hectare or even more for mass trapping.
The diffusers must be stored in their original packaging in a cool and dry place and separated from food and drinks.
To preserve the diffusers for long periods of time, it is recommended to keep them in the refrigerator at 4 o C in which case they will last for 2 years. Or they can be kept in the freezer at -20 o C for 4 years.
ECONEX PHTHORIMAEA OPERCULELLA 2MG 60 DAYS
Corrugated cardboard box of 400 units (20 packs of 20 units).
Box size: 0.60 x 0.40 x 0.35 m (length x width x height).
Box weight: 9.8 kg.
Pack of 20 units.
Box of 400 units.
(20 20 packs x 20 units each)
ECONEX FOLDING WHITE TRIANGULAR WITHOUT SHEETS
Corrugated cardboard box of 150 units.
Box size: 0.60 x 0.40 x 0.35 m (length x width x height).
Box weight: 10.60 kg.
Number of boxes per pallet: 20
Pallet size: 1.20 x 0.80 x 1.95 m (length x width x height).
Pallet weight: 222 kg.
Box of 150 units.
ECONEX SHEET FOR TRIANGULAR 1 UNIT PACK
Corrugated cardboard box of 500 units.
Box size: 0.42 0.29 x 0.21 m (length x width x height).
Box weight: 10.75 kg.
Number of boxes per pallet: 50
Pallet size: 1.10 x 1.00 x 1.25 m (length x width x height).
Pallet weight: 545 kg.
Box of 500 units.
ECONEX POLILLERO
Corrugated cardboard box of 35 units.
Box size: 0.60 x 0.40 x 0.35 m (length x width x height).
Box weight: 9.80 kg.
Number of boxes per pallet: 20
Pallet size: 1.20 x 0.80 x 1.95 m (length x width x height).
Pallet weight: 206 kg.
Box of 35 units.
ECONEX DISPOSABLE WHITE TRIANGULAR
Corrugated cardboard box of 250 units.
Box size: 0.42 x 0.29 x 0.21 m (length x width x height).
Box weight: 13.10 kg.
Number of boxes per pallet: 50
Pallet size: 1.10 x 1.00 x 1.25 m (length x width x height).
Pallet weight: 665 kg.
Box of 250 units.
ECONEX PHTHORIMAEA OPERCULELLA 2MG 60 DAYS LEAFLET
Leaflet in PDF format that can be downloaded by clicking on the image.
ECONEX LEARNING CENTER
ECONEX puts at your disposal the first open knowledge center that brings together everything necessary to implement pest biocontrol in your crops. We have developed different types of resources to share with you the knowledge we have acquired during our more than 38 years of experience. Each of them is designed to respond, in the best possible way, to different questions related to pheromones, attractants, repellents and insect traps.
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SANIDAD AGRÍCOLA ECONEX, S.L. only guarantees the composition, formulation and content of the products, taking responsibility for the direct, immediate and exclusive damages caused in the composition, formulation and content of the products sold. SANIDAD AGRÍCOLA ECONEX, S.L. will not be held responsible for damages produced by factors beyond the company’s control that have either totally or partially contributed. For instance, the weather conditions, usage or mixing with other products, amongst others. In addition, SANIDAD AGRÍCOLA ECONEX, S.L. will provide recommendations and information supported by extensive and meticulous research and tests; which must be taken into account by the customer when using the products. The customer will be responsible for any damage caused, in whole or in part, for the total or partial non-observance of the instructions provided. Furthermore, the customer will be responsible for all that is referred to as the performance of the products; which comes from total or partial non-observance of the instructions and information provided by the company.