Managing the Colorado potato beetle; the need for resistance breeding

Maharijaya, Awang; Vosman, Ben

Managing the Colorado potato beetle; the need for resistance breeding

2015

Maharijaya, Awang | Vosman, Ben

The Colorado potato beetle (CPB) is one of the pest insects that significantly can decrease the production of potato when no control measures are taken. The fast, flexible and diverse life cycle of the CPB, its highly destructive feeding habits, and high adaptability to a variety of environment stresses, have made the control of CPB a difficult task. This paper briefly reviews the information on all aspects of CPB management to come to an integrated pest management approach: the biology of the CPB, management practices including their limitations and drawbacks, as well as the need to incorporate host plant resistance into potato varieties. Several aspects of potato breeding for resistance to CPB are discussed. We evaluate the availability of natural variation present in potato wild relatives, the considerations in choosing a specific wild relative, and constraints in using them from biological, environmental and genetic point of view, in which newly developed technologies play an important role. We also consider recently developed GM approaches. We conclude that varieties resistant to CPB are desperately needed by farmers and demanded by society, and that the means to develop them are available.

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