Pneumatic and thermal control of Colorado potato beetle

Previous research and development work showed that pneumatic and thermal control of Colorado potato beetle (CPB) are both technically and economically possible at different stages of growth of the potato plants or of the beetles. A two-stage control strategy was thus developed and tested. The first stage requires retrofitting flaming components on potato cultivation implements. As mechanical cultivation is performed shortly after the potato plants have emerged, the heat generated by propane burners is directed toward the crop rows to control emerging adult CPB and egg masses at a period where the potato plants are more resistant to heat than CPB. A dedicated implement combining pneumatic and thermal components is required for the second stage later during the season. Air is blown across the crop rows to dislodge large CPB larvae and adult insects present on the potato plants. The dislodged insects are deposited on the soil surface between the rows where shielded propane burners are used to destroy them. Preliminary testing of this control strategy was completed during the summer of 1997 using a 4-row prototype of the combined pneumatic-thermal implement along with existing cultivation implements retrofitted with propane burners. Results of the research study under real production conditions showed that the use of the combined CPB control strategy had no negative effects on the growth of potato plants. Also, the effectiveness of this strategy in controlling CPB during the first half of the growing season of potato plants is comparable to that of chemical insecticides. The proposed combined control strategy could therefore be a very interesting alternative to chemical means for controlling CPB.