Potato Tuber Moth (Phthorimaea operculella)

POTATO TUBER MOTH

Order: LepidopteraFamily: GelechiidaeDistribution: Cosmopolitan-tropical and

subtropicalHost: Potato, tomato, eggplant, tamarillo leaves

(tree tomato)

DESCRIPTION•Narrow silver-grey body withGreyish brown wings marked by small, dark specks•Body length: 10 mm

Wings are fringed

DAMAGE

• Leaves and tubers

Damage symptoms on leaves

Damage symptoms on tubers

Life-cycle

Eggs: laid singly on underside of leaves and exposed tubers

Eggs are small,spherical, translucent,and range in color fromwhite or yellowish to lightbrown.

150-200 eggs laid

Life-cycleLarva: Larva 1-2 mm long and grows through 4 instars to reach 15-20 mm long.All larvae have dark brown head.

Larva first mine into leaves and later into stem. Larval period lasts 2-3 weeks in summer.

Larvae also excavate tunnels in the tubers

Life-cyclePupa: Pupa are formed in a silken cocoon covered with soil particles and debris for camouflage.

Pupation occurs on dead leaves or on stored potatoes.

Moth appears in 7-10 days

Life-cycle is completed in about one month. As many as 5-6 generations occur in a year.

The moth mainly hibernates in the form of pupae and emerges with the onset of warm dry conditions.

Management

• Use clean seed• Destroy tuber moth infested tubers, plant

debris and volunteer plants• Do not expose the tubers (earthing up)• Sort out the tubers before storage.