Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say), CPB) and volunteer potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.) are detrimental pests in potato producing regions. Warming winter temperatures has increased the likelihood of volunteer potato survival, an early season food source for CPB. Therefore, field experiments were conducted in 2023 and 2024 to evaluate integrated management strategies of these key pests. Experiments included: (1) management of volunteer potatoes and CPB in corn rotations using tillage and tank-mixed herbicides-insecticides, and (2) planting delayed potato trap crops to manage second generation CPB. In volunteer potato studies, reduced intensity tillage reduced volunteer emergence by 80% compared to high intensity tillage, due to increased exposure of volunteers to lethal winter temperatures. Late season volunteer control was greatest with mesotrione, which reduced the number and weight of daughter tubers by 55-78% and 80-88%, respectively, in the moldboard plow tillage system. Insecticide tank mixes reduced CPB density on volunteers and decreased defoliation of volunteers throughout the season. Corn injury was less than 5% across all tank-mixed herbicide-insecticide treatments. In the trap crop study, delaying potato trap crop planting by 2 wks resulted in increased CPB density by at least 57% or greater relative to the 0 wk treatment. Trap crop treatments did not reduce the rate of defoliation in the potato crops planted next to the trap crops, resulting in no difference in yield. However, results from this study demonstrate that delaying potato trap crop planting can alter CPB infestation of field edges providing an opportunity for localized management with foliar insecticide applications. Overall, this research investigated multiple integrated management approaches to control these key pests in corn and potato rotations.
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