Helena Virić Gašparić

Comparative Efficacy of Classical and Biorational Insecticides on Sugar Beet Weevil, Bothynoderes punctiventris Germar (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Bažok R., Satvar M., Rados I., Drmic Z., Lemic D., Cacija M., Viric Gaspari c H. (2016): Comparative efficacy of classical and biorational insecticides on sugar beet weevil, Bothynoderes punctiventris Germar (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). Plant Protect. Sci., 52: 134–141. The contact and ingestion activity and the potential of the insecticide spinosad for the control of sugar beet weevil were evaluated and compared with commercially used insecticides lambda-cyhalothrin and chlorpyriphos + cyper methrin. Results of three laboratory trials proved very good efficacy of spinosad applied at the dose of 72 g a.i./ha. Its efficacy was similar to chlorpyriphos + cypermethrin and significantly higher than that of lambda-cyhalothrin. Due to its favourable eco-toxicological properties and good ingestion activity, spinosad is a good candidate to be introduced in the integrated pest management strategy against beet weevil.

Endogaeic ground beetles fauna in oilseed rape field in Croatia

The abundance of ground beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae) in oilseed rape field can be an important indicator of different agricultural measures in arable land fauna. Surveys about ground beetle fauna in Croatia are generally very scarce and only few research on oilseed rape were conducted. The aim of this study was to determine the endogaeic ground beetle fauna in oilseed rape field and to determine species abundance and frequency. The study was carried out in Podravina region of Croatia, from the end of May till the mid-September in 2015. Ground beetles were collected using endogaeic traps incorporated in the soil. Altogether, 487 individuals classified into 8 species were collected. Species with the highest abundance and frequency was Brachinus (Brachinus) psophia Audinet-Serville, 1821, which was classified as eudominant and constant species. The highest ground beetle abundance was observed in summer period. All of the species found were spring breeders, except for species Trechus (Trechus) quadristriatus (Schrank, 1781) which breeds in autumn.

Four-year arable crop rotation impact on beneficial soil surface arthropod fauna restoration

Sugar beet production in Croatia is demanding and involves a range of activities that affect the successful production. Pests can significantly reduce yield, sugar content and root quality. Sugar beet protection is usually carried out by chemical measures. Chemical measures have long-term negative impact on soil surface Arthropod fauna. The composition and number of fauna species in surface soil layer indicates characteristics and fertility of the soil and is often referred as indicators of soil contamination.The aim of this research was to determine the richness and diversity of the soil surface Arthropod fauna in the sugar beet field and fields on which sugar beet was grown before one, two and three years ago. The research was conducted during 2015, in Lukac, Virovitica – Podravina County. Fauna was collected by pitfall traps (epigeic fauna) and perforated probes (endogeic fauna). The total number of collected specimens was 1.493. Eudominant were species from class Insecta, family Carabidae, order Collembola and specimens from class Arachnida and class Arachnida, order Aranaea. Species from order Hymenoptera were recedent. The highest total catch of beneficial soil surface Arthropod fauna was recorded in the oilseed rape field where the sugar beet was grown three years ago. Thin stand crops have more favorable impact on soil surface fauna due to the less intensive chemical protection measures and ability of faster warming of the soil. Agro-technical measures such as protection and crop rotation have significant impact on the number of beneficial soil surface Arthropod fauna which recovered after intensive cultivation of sugar beet, in four-year crop rotation.