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Influence of a Native Solanum tuberosum ssp. andigenum Potato Variety on Management of the Guatemalan Potato Moth in the Venezuelan Andes

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Abstract

Smallholder farmers in the Venezuelan Andes have observed that native Solanum tuberosum ssp. Andigenum (Andigena) potato varieties are less susceptible to damage from the invasive pest, Tecia solanivora P. (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) than improved varieties. Surprisingly, the value of using Andigena varieties in the management of T. solanivora remains unexplored. Field trials were established in Misinta, Venezuela, to assess T. solanivora damage on potatoes from an Andigena variety, ‘Imilla negra’, and two improved varieties, ‘Andinita’ and ‘Unica’. The influence of intercropped Imilla negra varieties on T. solanivora damage and marketable yield in neighboring improved potato varieties was also assessed. While Imilla negra had significantly less T. solanivora damage per plant (percentage of damaged tubers) and per tuber (number of larval exit perforations) than Andinita and Unica in monoculture trials, intercropped Imilla negra did not reduce T. solanivora damage or increase undamaged tuber yield of improved varieties in polycultures. The results support Andean farmer knowledge on Andigena potato varieties and suggest that the proper incorporation of these varieties into potato cropping systems might be a promising strategy in managing T. solanivora. Nevertheless, further evaluation extending beyond a single growing season is needed to validate the findings of this study over time, as year to year variability in environmental conditions can alter host plant preference in herbivorous insects.

Resumen

Los agricultores minifundistas en los Andes venezolanos han observado que las variedades nativas de papa Solanum tuberosum ssp. andígenum (Andígena) son menos susceptibles al daño por la plaga invasiva Tecia solanivora P. (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) que las variedades mejoradas. Sorpresivamente, el valor del uso de las variedades Andígena en el manejo de T. solanivora permanece inexplorado. Se establecieron experimentos de campo en Misinta, Venezuela, para analizar el daño por T. solanivora en papas de la variedad Andígena “Imilla negra”, y dos variedades mejoradas, “Andinita” y “Unica”. También se evaluó la influencia de las variedades Imilla negra intercultivadas sobre el daño por T. solanivora y sobre el rendimiento comercial en variedades de papa mejoradas vecinas. Mientras que Imilla negra tuvo significativamente menos daño por T. solanivora por planta (porcentaje de tubérculos dañados) y por tubérculo (número de perforaciones de salida de las larvas) que Andinita y Unica en ensayos de monocultivo, Imilla negra intercalada no redujo el daño por T. solanívora o aumentó el rendimiento de tubérculo no dañado de las variedades mejoradas en policultivos. Los resultados respaldan el conocimiento del agricultor Andino respecto a las variedades Andígenas de papa, y sugieren que la correcta incorporación de estas variedades en los sistemas de cultivo de la papa pudiera ser una estrategia prometedora en el manejo de T. solanivora. No obstante, se requiere de evaluación posterior que se extienda más allá de un solo ciclo de cultivo, para validar lo que se encontró en este estudio sobre el tiempo, como la variabilidad de año a año en las condiciones ambientales que puedan alterar la preferencia de planta hospedante en insectos herbívoros.

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Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge Onias Rivera of Misintá, Venezuela, for his support, assistance, and input in the development of our experimental potato plots. We thank Ilka Dominguez of the Institute of Agricultural Research at the University of the Andes in Mérida for her help in obtaining T. solanivora larvae. A many thanks to Moises Escalona, Adrian Gonzalez, and Rafael Pacheco for their assistance in the field and lab. We also thank D. Letourneau, S. Philpott, P. Barbosa, E. Velazquez, T. Cornelisse, E. Olimpi, M. Cely Santos, E. Jimenez, and H. Cohen for their many helpful comments and suggestions on this manuscript. Funding for this project was provided by grants from Annie’s Homegrown, Earthbound Farm Organic, and through the University of California President’s Dissertation Year Fellowship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Studies, University of California Santa Cruz, 1156 High St, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, USA

    Carlo R. Moreno & Stephen R. Gliessman

  2. Department of Biological Sciences, Humboldt State University, 1 Harpst St, Arcata, CA, 95521, USA

    Mason S. London

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  1. Carlo R. Moreno
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Correspondence to Carlo R. Moreno.

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Moreno, C.R., London, M.S. & Gliessman, S.R. Influence of a Native Solanum tuberosum ssp. andigenum Potato Variety on Management of the Guatemalan Potato Moth in the Venezuelan Andes. Am. J. Potato Res. 93, 224–230 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12230-016-9498-4

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