Faculty of Agricultural MechanisationBook 1.1 · Agricultural Engineering. Agricultural Science and Medicine. Repair and Reliability. Industrial Design. Thermotechnics, Hydro- and Pneumotechnics. Ecology and Environment Protection

FRI-8.303b-1-AMT&ASVM-03

STUDY OF THE ENTOMOFAUNA OF ALFALFA IN RUSE REGION

Assist. Prof. Evgeniya Zhekova, PhD

Institute of Agriculture and Seed Science “Obraztsov chiflik” - Ruse Agricultural Academy - Sofia

E-mail: e.d.zhekova@abv.bg

Abstract

Alfalfa is the most important fodder leguminous crop in our country. Along with the many positive qualities, a serious difficulty in growing alfalfa is protecting it from the large number of insect pests. The aim of the present study is to determine the species composition of the harmful and beneficial entomofauna, the dominant harmful species and their entomophages, as well as the indices for the species diversity and evenness in the alfalfa variety Prista 3 grown for seed production. The state of the general equilibrium and the diversity of insect species in the alfalfa biocenosis improved in the second studied year. Harmful and useful species, as balance elements in the agrocenosis of alfalfa, are not in a relatively balanced position, which is why dominant species were recorded in densities above the economic threshold levels (ETL). In the current reports of the density of the harmful entomofauna, an excess of the ETL was found in the dominant species and in the specific pest alfalfa seed chalcid, which is a prerequisite for the deterioration of the quality of the obtained seeds.

Keywords

Alfalfa, Entomofauna, Diversity index, Evenness

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