The Presence of Aphis gossypii Pests and Virus Symptoms on Three Varieties of Potato Plants (Solanum tuberosum L.) in Sembalun, East Lombok

Abstract

Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.) are an important horticultural commodity with high economic value and the potential to support food diversification. However, potato productivity in Indonesia remains low due to attacks by plant pests (OPT), one of which is aphids (Aphis gossypii), which can act as vectors for viral diseases such as Potato Virus Y (PVY). This study aimed to determine the presence of A. gossypii, the intensity of attacks, the symptoms of viral infection, trichome density, and yield on three potato varieties: Chitra, Titan, and Granola. The study was conducted in Sembalun, East Lombok, using a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with three treatments and six replications. Data were analyzed using ANOVA followed by a 5% Honestly Significant Difference (HSD) test and regression analysis. The results showed differences in the presence of A. gossypii, the intensity of attacks, and the symptoms of the virus transmitted by the three potato varieties. The highest population and intensity of A. gossypii pest attacks were found in the Granola variety with a population value of 12.98 individuals/week and an attack intensity of 6.34%/week, while the lowest population and intensity of A. gossypii pest attacks were in the Titan variety with a population value of 9.78 individuals/week and an attack intensity of 2.48%/week. It is suspected that the Titan variety is less favored by A. gossypii pests, indicated by the highest leaf trichome density of 10.83 trichomes/week. Symptoms of Potato Virus Y virus infection were found in the Chitra variety with an intensity of 0.41%. The highest number and weight of tubers were found in the Titan variety, namely 6.15 tubers/plant and 1,233 g/plant, followed by the Chitra variety, namely 5.23 tubers/plant and 977 g/plant, while the lowest was in the Granola variety, namely 4.04 tubers/plant and 473 g/plant.