R.Dominicana: New pest affecting potatoes arrives in the country

Producers concerned about the damage this worm can cause reported detecting it in potato fields in Constanza in November.

With more than 25,000 registered species and no cure, it is the most dangerous in the world, say researchers. To prevent its spread, they recommend not taking planting material from Constanza to other areas of the country.

This pest can last more than 50 years in the soil without cultivation and the farm that receives it cannot plant potatoes again.

The United States Department of Agriculture issued an alert for this pest without indicating its presence in the Dominican Republic. Experts point out that this country must notify the presence of the golden potato nematode or potato cyst nematode.

Potato cyst nematodes were detected in Idaho in 2006 and in New York in 1941. According to the US alert, these microscopic nematodes mainly affect plants in the potato family, including potato, tomato and eggplant crops. They also affect some weeds.

The pests do not infect the potato tubers, but the nutritive roots, where the females attach themselves to them, feed and become sedentary. Nematodes reproduce sexually. Males are attracted to females by a pheromone and can mate several times. Females form cysts containing 200 to 600 eggs.

Each year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) works with states to conduct a voluntary nationwide potato nematode survey to determine the distribution and extent of pest infection in their territories.

As a control measure, USDA-APHIS is cooperating with Idaho and New York to carry out current malaria programs in each state.