POTATO TRAP CROPS FOR CONTROL OF COLORADO POTATO BEETLE (COLEOPTERA, CHRYSOMELIDAE) IN TOMATOES

The use of potato as a trap crop for the Colorado potato beetle, Lepti notarsa decemlineata (Say), in processing tomatoes was evaluated. The proportion of beetles counted on potato trap rows vs. the tomato crop on a per plant basis was 0.99, 1 week after transplanting, and never f ell below 0.93 on any sampling date. In tomato plots that received no insecticides, potato trap rows placed as much as 16 tomato beds apart were effective in reducing beetle numbers on the tomatoes and producin g crop yields 61-87% higher than plots without trap rows. Four of six pairs of plots had significantly fewer adult beetles and significantly higher tomato yields when a potato trap crop was present.