Spinosad based insecticide is an effective control method for the potato soil pests Agriotes sp. and Melolontha sp.

Comanescu, G. and Bell, L. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2895-2030 (2026) Spinosad based insecticide is an effective control method for the potato soil pests Agriotes sp. and Melolontha sp. Crop Science. ISSN 1435-0653 (In Press)

Abstract/Summary

Potato (Solanum tuberosum; Linnaeus, 1753) growers who would like to biologically control major soil pests of potato face an increasing challenge. Two pest species have a major impact on yield quality: white grubs (Melolontha sp.; Eschscholtz, 1829) and wireworms (Agriotes sp.; Fabricius, 1775). Farmers who want to grow potatoes in a sustainable fashion to reduce the quantity of chemical pesticides per hectare, do not have many options. In this study on-farm trials were conducted with a Spinosad based granular insecticide in south-eastern Central Europe, Romania, in Brasov County, where Melolontha sp. and Agriotes sp. pests occur and cause severe damage to potato tubers. The insecticidal active substance Spinosad, belonging to the chemical family of spinosyns, is a naturally occurring mixture of two components, spinosyn A and spinosyn D, produced by the soil actinomycete Saccharopolyspora spinosa (Mertz & Yao, 1990). In order to understand, optimise, and improve organic farming methods a comprehensive study of Spinosad-based insecticides for controlling soil pests in potato was conducted across multiple locations and growing seasons. Spinosad treatment was consistently more effective than standard and untreated control groups in combating the two pests. The overall efficacy of Spinosad at 12 kg/ha and at 15 kg/ha resulted in 3.5% and 3.1% of tubers suffering damage, respectively, compared to the untreated control where 20.8% of tubers suffered damage (from both species). These results highlight the potential of Spinosad as an effective biocontrol method for potato pests in organic farming, contributing to sustainable agriculture practices, and increased marketable yields.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://centaur.reading.ac.uk/id/eprint/129663
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Life Sciences > School of Agriculture, Policy and Development > Department of Crop Science
Publisher	Crop Science Society of America
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