Villanueva Spelucín, AlexEscobal Valencia, FernandoCántaro Segura, Héctor BaroniDiaz Morales, Luis AlbertoMatsusaka Quiliano, Daniel Claudio2026-01-302026-01-302026-01-13Villanueva, A., Escobal, F., Cántaro-Segura, H., Diaz-Morales, L., & Matsusaka, D. (2026). Sustainable management of potato tuber moths using eco-friendly dust formulations during storage in the Andean highlands. Insects, 17(1), 86. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects170100862075-4450http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12955/3010Postharvest losses caused by potato tuber moths severely impact storage in the Andean highlands, where reliance on synthetic insecticides poses sustainability and safety concerns. This study evaluated eco-friendly alternatives for protecting stored seed tubers of the widely adopted cultivar INIA 302 Amarilis in Cajamarca, Peru. In two storage facilities, a completely randomized block design compared four treatments: Bacillus thuringiensis plus talc (Bt-talc), talc, agricultural lime, and wood ash against an untreated control. Powders were applied at 50 g per 10 kg of tubers, and incidence, severity of damage, and live larvae were assessed over 150 days. Bt–talc consistently achieved the lowest damage. Incidence in Cochapampa was 16.8% ± 6.2 with Bt-talc, compared with 58.1% ± 3.9 in the control; in Sulluscocha, incidence was 25.5% ± 4.8 and 64.2% ± 3.0 for Bt-talc and the control, respectively. A similar pattern was observed for moth-damage severity in both localities. Live larvae per unit were also markedly lower with 1.3 ± 0.3 (Cochapampa) and 1.6 ± 0.6 (Sulluscocha) under Bt–talc. A single dusting with Bt–talc, or alternatively agricultural lime, offers effective, accessible, and sustainable control of potato tuber moths in high-Andean storage.application/pdfenginfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccesshttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Potato tuber mothSymmetrischema tangoliasStorage protectionBacillus thuringiensisAgricultural limeIndustrial talcWood ashAndean highlandsPolilla de la papaProtección del almacenamientoCal agrícolaTalco industrialCeniza de maderaAltiplano andinoinfo:eu-repo/semantics/articlehttps://purl.org/pe-repo/ocde/ford#4.01.06https://doi.org/10.3390/insects17010086Papa; Potatoes; Tortricidae; Control biológico de plagas; Biological pest control; Bioplaguicida; Biopesticides; Gestión de lucha integrada; Integrated pest management; Lepidoptera