Effectiveness of Insect Management Practices on the Spread of Potato Virus Y

Overview

This study investigates Potato Virus Y (PVY) in potato crops, a virus that significantly impacts yields for farmers nationwide. PVY is an infectious virus transmitted from plant to plant through aphids, which can feed on diseased plants and spread the virus to healthy ones. This study compares two pest management practices for controlling the spread of PVY in food crops by managing the vector (aphid). The two methods are crop-oiling and companion cropping (regenerative). Samsun tobacco plants were used to m onitor the spread of PVY due to its low resistance to PVY infection and good expression of PVY symptoms. Plants were grown from seed, nurtured in a greenhouse, and then transplanted in two separate sets on June 8th and July 13th, 2023. Leaves from each plant were sampled on August 24th and tested for PVY presence. Companion cropping yielded completely negative PVY results in all field locations, whereas crop -oiling fields demonstrated a positivity rate from 50% to 70%, particularly at the perimeter of the field. Based on these findings, companion cropping emerges as a more effective method in preventing the spread of PVY to important food crops. Adopting this holistic approach provides proactive measures by; 1) establishing favorable habitats and food sour ces for beneficial insects, and 2) providing aphids with multiple opportunities to purge PVY from their mouthparts before feeding on the primary food crop. This study shows the potential of companion cropping as a sustainable and effective method for mitigating the spread of PVY in potatoes.