Hello friends of the farm today, I am going to tell you about the pests that attack spinach and how we can fight them. These include spinach worms, green aphids, nematodes, etc. Now we will look more closely at each of these spinach problems.
WORMS IN THE SPINACH (GUSANOS GRISES OR AGROTIS SP.)
It seems that the spinach becomes very appetizing for the insects of the Noctuidae family. This species of caterpillars belongs to the order of Lepidoptera. The adults are brown with drawings on the forewings. The caterpillars are gray, hence the name. These butterflies whose larvae feed on the beginning of the stem of the plant ending by cutting them. They feed at night and the day they spend hiding in the ground. In winter they winter inside the earth as a chrysalis. They appear on springs whose previous winters have been dry.
To prevent them, it is advisable to respect the sowing schedule of the spinach, work the soil correctly so that it is aerated, respect the plantation frames and make associations of recommended crops with spinach.
The fight against this type of species is not easy since they hide between the leaves of the spinach.
NEMATODOS:
The spinach that is dried by cysts in the roots. Nematodes can also affect our spinach plants. Knots are observed that carry with them the wilting of the plants. The most damaging nematodes for spinach are those of the genus Heterodera. This type of nematodes can also affect other crops such as: beet, carrots, brassicas, etc. They can also affect some weeds .
Among the most common symptoms, the formation of cysts in the roots of plants stands out. I remember that nematodes are very tiny organisms that live in the soil, so they affect the roots. It is not usually one of the most frequent pests but in the case of detecting it it is convenient to carry out a crop rotation or apply the solarization method.
Control is used nematicides such as Dichloropropene, Metam-sodium, etc., prior to planting.
Biological treatment Rotation of crops, resistant horticultural varieties. Solarization (the sun ends with the nematodes, breaks the ground and turns it over frequently.)
Chemical treatment Fenamiphos.
THE PULGONES are one of the insects that seems to be always present. In the case of spinach, one of the species that is most present is Aphis fabae (black aphid) or Myzus persicae.
Aphids are usually in colonies between the leaves of spinach. Depending on the year, the damages and their presence will be more or less important. When there is an attack of aphids the plant becomes weaker. The aphids are small harmful insects that feed on our plants. We need magnifying glass to see them correctly. There are aphids of very different kinds, black, green, winged, without wings ... The best way to combat them is the prevention of their appearance. And we can do it in different ways: respecting the spinach plantation framework, making a correct crop rotation, associating its planting with other plants whose association is favorable, sowing basil next to spinach since it repels aphids.
Control: Pulverization with fans.
Biological treatment: Natural enemies and predators: Cochineal septepunctata, Aphidoletes aphidimyza, Paraffin oil, Wormwood extract, potash soap, Pyrethrum, decoction of tomato plants, chromatic traps.
Chemical treatment: Acetate, Diazinon, Dimethoate, Pyrethrins.
THE BEET FLY, scientifically known as Pegomia betae or Pegomia hyoscyami can also affect our spinach. The adult state is a light gray fly (like the one you can see in the photo). The eggs are white, very elongated.
Normally the eggs are in groups of 3-4 on the underside of the leaves. Adults have a gray head with a red stripe on the front; the eyes are pink and the legs yellow. The larvae measure approximately 6-7 mm in length.
The damage is caused by the larvae, as they perforate the epidermis and penetrate the interior of the tissues of the limbus, forming galleries that, when several are joined, form silvery-looking spots, soft to the touch and brownish, reaching a large part of the sheet
They have three generations a year. Spinach leaves can not withstand very serious attacks, because they lose their commercial value at once.
The larvae break the epidermis of the leaves and penetrate into the tissues of the leaf. Therefore, one of the most characteristic symptoms of this plague is the formation of galleries in the leaves that can occupy the entire surface. If we observe that our spinach leaves have galleries in the leaves, it may be due to this plague.
If it is of consolation, it is not one of the most frequent plagues that we can find.
Control:
Biological treatment: Potassium soap, Azadiractin
You can also perform treatments aimed at adults with contact products
METHODS OF PEST PREVENTION OF SPINACH
The methods of prevention are those that will help us prevent the appearance of pests and diseases of spinach.
Among all the preventive methods that exist the most important I list them below:
Crop rotation
Work the soil before planting to reduce the number of larvae of some insects.
Use resistant varieties
Solarization (very good to fight against nematodes)
Disinfect the materials used with diseased crops.
Source:
http://plantas.facilisimo.com/cultivos-otonales-plagas-y-enfermedades-de-la-espinaca_837746.html
http://www.elhuertodelabuelo.es/blog/plagas-de-las-espinacas/
I hope that my information has been useful.
