Vectors of potato virus and their control under conditions of Rio Grande do Sul

Abstract

A study was made to define the live vectors of potato virus, their biology and propagation under the ecological conditions of Rio Grande do Sul. Methods of protecting the potato from virus were studied including the use of insecticides for control or virus diseases transmissible by sucking insects and through the practice of early harvest. In determining the vectors of virus and their capacity of transmission, in addition to the already-recognized species in South-central Brazil, a new species for the area, Aulacorthum solani, was found and its capacity as a vector of virus was studied. Studies of population dynamics confirmed the practical advantage of early harvest to avoid large-scale contamination of the potato with virus. The experiment with insecticides, and specially with granulated systemics, showed that these were effective in controlling virus of potato under the ecological conditions of Southern Brazil.