Monitoring populations of the potato tubermoth (Phthorimaea operculella) in potato plots and in storage in Senegal

This study provided information on periods of peak infestation of potato by the tubermoth (Phthorimaea operculella) in the fields and storage facilities in the Niayes area of Senegal.  Diamond sticky traps baited with P. operculella synthetic pheromone lure, IT053 ISCA lure, were used to monitor adult male moth populations in 2011 and 2012.  The numbers of male P. operculella trapped in 2011 were very low while much greater numbers of the male moths were trapped in 2012.  Over the year, there were observed 4 peaks with maximum number of moths being recorded in February, 2012.  Male moths continued to be trapped after potatoes were harvested from the farms but the numbers decreased compared to captures before harvest. The cumulative percentage of the overall mean number of PTM trapped during 2012 potato cultivation season showed that 26.1% were trapped by 18 Feb, and 94.9% by 23 Jun.  This information will be useful in predicting the best times to institute intervention measures to mitigate damage to potatoes by the moth.  Laboratory investigation revealed that abandoned tubers in the field were the source of sustained incidence of the moth in farms following harvest of potatoes.  The number of male moths trapped in stores tapered with the number of weeks the bagged tubers stayed in storage.