CURRENT KNOWLEDGE REGARDING THE SOIL PESTS AND THEIR CONTROL OPTIONS IN MAIZE CROPS FROM SOUTHERN ROMANIA
Raluca Gabriela Georgescu, Ionuț Cristian Popa, Mădălina Rădulea, Andrei Chiriloaie-Palade, Maria Iamandei
Abstract: With an annual cultivated surface of 2.2 to 2.7 million hectares, maize is the most important cereal crop in Romania, followed by wheat and barley. Yields of maize crops have considerably fluctuation between years, mainly due to abiotic factors like drought and biotic factors represented by pest insects. Maize is attacked by a large number of arthropods, the southern area of Romania being particularly affected by the attack of some harmful species such as Tanymecus dilaticollis, Opatrum sabulosum, and different complexes of wireworms that can compromise crops, on large areas, from the first stages of crop vegetation. The paper reviews the recent literature on general distribution and economic importance of main soil-dwelling pests in relation to maize production. Also, control methods that can be used for their integrated management are discussed.
Key words: soil pests, maize crops, IPM, biological control
POPULATION DYNAMICS OF MAIZE PEST SPECIES IN AN AGROECOSYSTEM WITH AGROFORESTRY SHELTERBELTS IN THE TRANSYLVANIAN PLATEAU
Adina Tărău1, Camelia Urdă, Ana-Maria Vălean, Laura Şopterean, Loredana Suciu, Florin Russu, Nicolae Tritean, Daniela Trifan
Abstract: This study evaluated the abundance and flight dynamics of major maize pests within an agroecosystem protected by agroforestry shelterbelts in the Transylvanian Plateau. Monitoring was carried out from May to September 2024 at the Cean–Bolduț farm (Cluj County), using species-specific pheromone traps for Ostrinia nubilalis, Agrotis segetum, Helicoverpa armigera, and Diabrotica virgifera virgifera. Climatic parameters were recorded to assess their influence on pest activity. Diabrotica virgifera virgifera was the species with the highest abundance, recording 674 captured adults, an average of 61.3 adults per trap, and the peak in flight activity in late July. It was also the only species showing a statistically significant correlation with minimum temperature (r = 0.48, p < 0.05). The other species exhibited moderate to low abundances and showed no significant associations with climatic variables. These findings highlight Diabrotica v. virgifera as the primary pest threat in agroecosystems with shelterbelts and emphasize the need for targeted monitoring.
Keywords: agroforestry shelterbelts, maize pests, pheromone monitoring, abundance, climatic variables.
THE INFLUENCE OF TILLAGE SYSTEMS ON THE OCCURRENCE OF DISEASES AND PESTS ON SPRING CEREALS, IN THE TRANSYLVANIAN PLATEAU
Felicia CHEȚAN, Adina TĂRĂU, Ana-Maria VĂLEAN, Laura ȘOPTEREAN, Alina ȘIMON, Camelia URDĂ, Roxana CĂLUGĂR, Cornel CHEȚAN, Teodor RUSU, Loredana SUCIU
Abstract. In recent years, spring straw crops have expanded due to the increasing variability of autumn weather, which affects germination and emergence, while spring generally provides sufficient moisture for proper cereal development. Another advantage of these crops is their productivity, often comparable to or even higher than that of autumn crops. Research carried out at the Agricultural Research and Development Station (ARDS) Turda, between 2023 and 2025, examined the influence of four soil tillage systems (plowing, minimum tillage with chisel, minimum tillage with disc, and no-tillage) on the occurrence of diseases and pests in three spring cereal species (wheat, oat, barley), within a split-plot experiment with two replications. Basic fertilization (300 kg/ha NPK 15:15:15) was applied at sowing. Phytosanitary assessments conducted at stem elongation and flowering aimed to identify the main diseases and to estimate the frequency and intensity of attacks. Pest monitoring was performed through 100 double sweep-net samples every 10 days, from the booting stage until two weeks before harvest. Chemical treatments and plowing systems significantly reduced disease and pest pressure; however, a higher number of harmful organisms was recorded in the no-tillage system due to the presence of plant residues that favor their development cycle.
Key words: tillage system, disease, pest, spring cereals