b"TATERTALES In this column Im looking at three aspects of potato productioninsecticide resistance in CPBs, lazy potato varieties and bio-fumigation for soil health.Whats New in Potato Production?TACKLING COLORADO POTATO BEETLE INSECTICIDE RESISTANCEColorado potato beetles (CPBs) have a long history of developing resistance to insecticides. Many growers will remember the early 1990s when there were no effective products available. This changed in 1995 when Admire (imidacloprid), the first neonico-tinoid, was registered in Canada. New generations of neonicoti-noids continue to provide good control, but resistance may be just around the corner.EUGENIA BANKS,Recent research has shown female beetles produce a sex POTATOpheromone to attract males. Male beetles move upwind turning SPECIALIST WITH THE ONTARIOleft and right following a scent trail as they search for females. POTATO BOARD If the pheromone can be produced synthetically, then it could be used to cause 'mating confusion'.If the pheromone is sprayed everywhere, then the males Gibberellic acid seed treatment trials on Waneta potatoes.would spend their time turning left and right but not find aPHOTO: PAT DOL, WD POTATO LTDfemale. Males follow their nose even when they are very close to females. This should significantly reduce mating. CPB femalesNEW EQUIPMENT FOR INCORPORATING are very prolific, laying about 400 eggs during their lifetime. AnyBIOFUMIGANTS management practice which disrupts mating should reduce CPBMustards are being used by many growers as biofumigants populations. We need to stay tuned for the development of thisbecause, like most brassicas, mustards release glucosinolates CPB management practice. when chopped. Glucosinolates are converted in the soil into gaseous compounds called isothiocyanates that can suppress or USING GIBBERELLIC ACID SEED TREATMENT TOkill Verticillium fungi and root-lesion nematodes.BREAK DORMANCY FOR THE CHIPPING VARIETYCharles Emre, a potato producer from Norfolk County, has WANETA been growing mustards as a biofumigant for many years. He has Waneta is an important chipping variety in Ontario for processingnoticed the soil health of his fields has improved over the years. growers and for WD Potato Ltd. in Beeton, ON. Waneta chips wellThis has translated into a higher quality potato crop.but is a lazy varietyit takes time to break dormancy andMustards grown as biofumigants are chopped at full bloom emergence is uneven. and must be incorporated immediately, usually with a rototiller. This season, Mark VanOostrum, the supply manager of WD Potato,Then the soil surface is sealed with a heavy board or roller, a is evaluating gibberellic acid (GA) to find out if this plant growthprocess which requires two tractors, two drivers and three pieces regulator can counteract apical dominance and break dormancy ofof equipment for chopping, incorporating and sealing. Emre has Wanetathis should result in more even emergence and a betterevaluated a new systema front-mounted shredder and a crop stand. rear-mounted FarmaX Spader and roller. It takes a large tractor VanOostrum is conducting five trials in commercial fields. GA wasbut as Emre says, the benefits are that only one driver, one tractor applied as a seed treatment at the rate of one g ai per 1,334 cwt ofand one pass over the field are needed, making for quick incor-seed. The seed was cut, treated, and planted the same day. The emer- poration of mustard after chopping and then the sealing. This gence of treated seed was a lot faster than the control and very even. results in very little loss of isothiocyanates from the soil.VanOostrum, who is a dedicated potato researcher, is alwaysAlso, Emre has been evaluating mustard seed mixes for many looking for solutions to production challenges and is very excitedyears on his farm because not all mustards are equal. There are with the so far successful on-farm trials, and so are the growerssignificant differences among mustard varieties. After many who are participating in this research. He hopes for better stemyears of evaluation, he has come up with a cocktail mix which counts and a bigger set. Stay tuned for the harvest results! seems to work extremely well for improving soil health. GIBBERELLIC ACID SEED TREATMENT RESULTSDATE # OF% EMERGEDDATE # OF% EMERGEDDATE # OF% EMERGED PLANTS @ 8 PLANTS @ 8 PLANTS @ 8AVG Treated 10-Jun 5.2 51% 12-Jun 18.2 61% 15-Jun 21.0 70%AVG Untreated 10-Jun 4 13% 12-Jun 6.2 21% 15-Jun 12.2 41%38 SPUDSMART.COM SUMMER 2020"