Potato Leafroll Virus - Management

Management

Since PLRV is persistently transmitted it makes for easier means of control. Studies have shown a minimum of twelve hours is required for the virus to be transmissible by an aphid. Therefore, PLRV can be controlled effectively by reducing aphid populations. Systemic and foliar insecticides can be used to prevent aphid feeding. Since virus takes several hours to be transmitted by aphids systemic insecticides are utilized and the aphid dies before it can transmit the virus. Foliar pesticides are utilized when colonizing aphid populations get too high and are useful as a knockdown method, to rapidly reduce aphid populations.Imidacloprid, Methamidophos and Endosulfan are commonly used in aphid control. One study found that ethyl-methyl parathion pesticides are less effective at controlling the green peach aphid at lower temperatures. At 25 degrees Celsius aphid mortality was 95%. At 17 degrees Celsius mortality was 90%, at 10 degrees Celsius mortality was 80%, and at 7 degrees Celsius mortality was 67%. This suggests that some chemical controls are more effective at higher temperatures. Other management strategies include sanitation and seed certification. Cleaning any volunteer tubers from a field reduces any reservoirs that may persist. Seed certification programs test seed lots utilizing ELISA for the detection of multiple potato viruses. Seed lots can then be rated by the amount of infection. Highly infected seed lots are rejected and not used the next season.