The use of the commander for processing potato tubers
When growing vegetables on a personal plot, every second gardener uses insecticidal agents in the fight against the Colorado potato beetle, wireworm and other insects that threaten the future harvest. Among the most effective drugs that have proven themselves according to user reviews is the Commander for processing potato tubers and other vegetables. It is used for plants already planted in the beds and immediately before planting root crops.
The use of the commander for processing potato tubers
Characteristics of the drug
The insecticidal agent Commander for treating potato tubers before planting and for those planted in the ground belongs to systemic preparations with high efficiency in the fight against insects harmful to vegetable crops. The main active substance is the highly toxic component that is part of the composition - imidacloprid, the concentration of which is 15 of the total volume of liquid used to prepare solutions for processing, or 200 g per liter. The chemical preparation can be produced in ampoules with a volume of 1 ml or in vials of different volumes - from 4 ml to 100 ml.
An insecticide from this series can be purchased in powder form under the name Commander Maxi.
Benefits
Among the main advantages of using the drug to protect potatoes against the Colorado potato beetle, wireworm and other crop pests:
- preservation of the effectiveness of the effect of the main active substance even at elevated temperature conditions,
- easy solubility in water with the formation of a stable suspension,
- lack of addiction (resistance) of pests to the composition,
- the possibility of using the drug for processing potatoes at any time of the year,
- a wide range of actions,
- low toxicity to vegetables and the environment,
- profitability due to the low rate of flow of the working fluid.
The advantage of the drug is that a single use of the Commander is enough for processing potato tubers in one gardening season. This can be done before planting and right on the garden bed, and there is no difference in the effectiveness of the result. The active ingredient retains its effectiveness, accumulating in the cells of the plant and protecting it from pests.
Operating principle
An insecticidal preparation for protecting a potato crop is able to cope not only with the Colorado potato beetle, wireworm. Its advantage is a wide spectrum - it helps against aphids, scares away bears and butterflies, and also prevents rodents from damaging vegetables. The tool is able to effectively resist against adult insect pests and their larvae.
An insecticidal agent for protecting potatoes from pests is used as an external treatment of root crops.
The main ways to protect a vegetable crop from the Colorado potato beetle are spraying the working fluid on the bushes of the planted potatoes or watering. The insecticidal substance with sufficient intensity quickly penetrates into the cells of the root system, stems and leaves of potatoes. A vegetable pest can receive a dose of an active poisonous substance by eating potato tops or root crops and also by simple contact with parts of the plant.
The protective function of the drug while protecting potatoes with it retains its active effective action for up to 35-50 days, which is sufficient for growing and harvesting.
The poisonous substance that has entered the insect's body, which is part of the insecticide, begins to affect the nerve cells, exerting a paralytic effect on them, which paralyzes the motor function and disrupts digestive activity. The final result of the action used to protect potatoes from pests is the death of the insect.
Processing order
Tackle dry weather
Despite the numerous reviews of gardeners, assuring the ability of the insecticide to maintain its effective effect in protecting potatoes even in rainy weather and with abundant watering, in order to achieve a high result with a greater likelihood of combating the Colorado potato beetle, it is recommended that they process the plants in dry and calm weather, when in no rain in the near future. This will allow the active poisonous substance to be better absorbed into the cells of the potato plant. On the day of spraying a vegetable crop, experienced gardeners do not recommend watering the bushes.
Workforce training
Prepare a liquid for spraying or watering potatoes at the rate of 2 ml of the active agent in a 10-liter bucket of water. It is convenient to do this by first dissolving the indicated amount of insecticide in a liter of liquid, thoroughly mixing it to the state of suspension, and then bringing the volume of the working composition to the required amount.
Treatment
It is recommended to process a vegetable crop from a watering can when watering or with a spray, if the method is chosen in the form of spraying. This can be done in one of two possible ways:
- by spraying on the foliage and stems or watering potato bushes already planted in the soil, while the instructions for the preparation recommend spraying the plants using a freshly prepared composition to obtain the most effective result, wetting the foliage evenly with it,
- by using the commander to process potato tubers before planting them on the beds, for which they are laid out in a row, carefully processed and then dried, many people prefer to cover the treated potato tubers before planting with a film, and after they are completely dry, they are planted in the soil by the usual method.
Precautions and other factors
The insecticidal composition against pests shows its effectiveness, while ensuring at the same time safety in its use, subject to a number of conditions.
Speed and effect of impact
The optimal temperature regime for the effectiveness of the drug is 12 '- 25'. These are the boundaries within which the active poisonous substance that is part of the composition is able to work with the maximum positive result. The effect of protecting potatoes is observed already several hours after the treatment. The manufacturer of the insecticidal agent guarantees the duration of the period of 100% protection of the vegetable crop against the pest of at least two weeks, with its preservation up to two months with a decrease in the percentage of effectiveness. The instruction to the commander does not provide for the alternation of the composition with other chemical insecticides and other preparations, without guaranteeing a positive result in such cases.
Toxicity
According to the instructions, the commander for potato processing is not considered a phytotoxic agent for vegetable crops, when the recommended dosage of the drug is observed when preparing the working fluid. It belongs to the third hazard class and to the second class for maintaining stability in soil. However, the duration of work with the drug for a person should not exceed three hours with the obligatory use of personal protective equipment.
It should be remembered that when processing an adult, grown potato against a pest by the commander, it is possible to eat it after at least 20 days after the processing.
In places where potato bushes are adjacent to apiaries, it is recommended to use the commander with due caution, since its use often becomes fatal for bees collecting nectar from potato flowers.
Destruction and neutralization
In the event of a spill of a concentrated composition of the commander, the active substance is sorbed by means of sand or a dry earth layer, clay or sawdust. After complete absorption of the composition, the contaminated material used as a sorbent is collected in a container and disposed of. The plot of land, where the concentrated composition has got, is treated with a soda solution with a concentration of 10% or freshly slaked bleach with a concentration of 7%. After processing, the land is dug up.