Straw potato mulching is becoming a global trend

Experiments are underway in New Zealand to mulch potatoes with barley straw against potato moths and weeds. The potato moth (Phthorimaea operculella) is an oligophagous insect that damages plants from the Solanaceae family, native to South America. Currently, the potato moth is present in more than 90 countries, presenting a problem in New Zealand in the Pukekohe potato region. This is due to dry, hot summers and mild winters, which allow growers to leave potatoes in the ground from mid-January to April. But cracks in volcanic clay soils offer many opportunities for potato moth larvae to infest tubers. Organophosphate pesticides have previously been used to protect crops from potato moths, but due to overuse, environmental impacts and pest resistance, pesticide practices are being sought for an alternative, says Shane Smith, CEO of local Inta-Ag. Inta-Ag tested straw mulch against potato moth, applying about 10 tons of mulch on an area of 1 hectare in October last year and setting ...