Published in Scientific Papers. Series B, Horticulture, Vol. LXVI, Issue 1
Written by Tudor STANCIU, Ionela DOBRIN, Ion TONCEA, Gina FÎNTÎNERU
Wireworms, larvae of click beetles, Agriotes spp, are important pests of sweet potato. There is currently no curative treatment available to control wireworms and preventive treatments are mainly chemical. Therefore, is a need for a better understanding of the damaging factors to develop effective integrated control strategies and methods (IPM). This study aims to present the preliminary results on bait and pheromone traps used in a sweet potato crop to evaluate the densities of three major wireworm species in south-eastern Europe (Agriotes lineatus, A. obscurus, and A. ustulatus). Biological control with Metharizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana was applied. Agriotes ustulatus was the main species caught with pheromone traps, over 2400 specimens, while A. lineatus were 270 specimens, and A. obscurus 280. Statistical analysis was performed for evaluating the effectiveness of biological control with Metharizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana, the result demonstrating the viability of the method, the number and size of commercial sweet potatoes being significantly higher in the treated plot. The study offers perspectives to develop preventive and curative solutions for the sustainable control of wireworms.
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