This presentation will help consultants, growers, and other practitioners in the United States to develop a better understanding about aphids, which are major potato pests in the United States. It introduces concepts that help identify the most important potato-colonizing and -noncolonizing aphid species in several parts of the United States. The information presented on the management of aphids includes cultural, biological, and chemical control methods. This presentation also includes brief explanations OF the two most economically important viruses that affect potatoes, Potato leafroll virus (PLRV) and Potato virus Y (PVY). Understanding how aphids transmit the two viruses is critical in the management of this pest to prevent virus infections. Information also is presented about an omnipresent weed plant in the U.S. Pacific Northwest that is in the same family as the potato, the hairy nightshade, which is not only a preferred host for potato-colonizing aphids but also an additional inoculum source for PLRV and PVY. The final part of the presentation is dedicated to chemical control and includes recommended chemistries that not only kill aphids but also prevent virus transmission.
