Potato Tuber Moth, Phthorimaea operculella (Zeller) Management using Selected Cultural Practices in West Shewa Zone, Ethiopia

Potato Tuber Moth, Phthorimaea operculella amongst the insect pest of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is the major production constraints in Ethiopia which causes damage both under field and storage conditions and results economic lose. So that, this experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of phonological stages of potato vine clearing and times of tuber harvesting on PTM infestation using RCBD factorial experiment with three replications. Results indicates that, during the pre vine clearing monitoring period, the larvae and damages on the potato leaves showed significant increase from the initial monitoring to the start of vine clearing made at vine senescence period. Furthermore, number of larvae, damaged tuber and galleries created by the mining of PTM larvae in tubers were also significantly increased from senescence period to the complete death of vines. On the other hand, comparing harvesting practices at vine clearing periods revealed that, the highest number of larvae and damage in tuber were recorded on harvests taken after 45 days. It can be concluded that, using vine clearing at completely yellow stage and harvesting after 15 days of vine clearing is recommended to reduce the effect of PTM infestation of tubers in the soil.