How do I prevent pests from damaging crops?
Written by
Benjamin Miller
Reviewed by
Prof. Samuel Fitzgerald, Ph.D.To prevent pest problems in sweet potato fields, you need to be strategic with your organic practices. Last year, before I used row covers, I lost 30% of the harvest to flea beetles. I used row covers combined with diatomaceous earth to cut the pest damage by 80% in an experimental plot.
Physical Barriers
- Install floating row covers at planting
- Use fine mesh (0.6mm) to block flea beetles
- Secure edges with soil or sandbags
- Remove during flowering for pollination
Soil Treatments
- Apply food-grade diatomaceous earth weekly
- Mix into top 2 inches of soil
- Reapply after heavy rains
- Combine with beneficial nematodes
Foliar Sprays
- Neem oil solution (2 tbsp/gal water)
- Spray undersides of leaves biweekly
- Add garlic extract for extra repellency
- Apply at dawn to avoid beneficial insects
Crop rotation is an effective way to interrupt pest lifecycles. I alternate the cropping of sweet potatoes with marigolds and bush beans; after three years of this rotation, the soil-borne larvae in my monoculture decreased by 60% from the crop rotation. Deep tillage after harvest also exposes overwintering insects to predation from birds and ground beetles.
Companion planting strengthens the plant's natural defenses. In my intercropping experiment, the nasturtiums attracted ladybugs to our vegetable crops while repelling aphids. I also experimented with planting basil between the sweet potato rows to mask the odor that attracts mothed to my sweet potatoes. Pairing these things created a more diverse ecosystem, which reduced pests without using chemical pest deterrent products.
Read the full article: How to Grow Sweet Potatoes: Complete Guide
