OBSERVATIONS REGARDING THE COLEOPTERAN FAUNA IN MAIZE CROPS DEPENDING ON THE CHEMICAL TREATMENTS APPLIED AGAINST PESTS

Abstract

The research was conducted in a maize crop located in the area of Adea, Bihor County, in 2022.For the collection of entomological material, Barber-type soil traps were used, each containing a 2.5% NaCl solution for preserving and killing the captured insects.
A total of 24 traps were used—12 traps for each of the two experimental variants. Each variant included three repetitions, each repetition consisting of four traps.
The two experimental variants were:
- Variant 1 – chemical treatments were applied against pests (seed treatments and foliar treatments as needed), representing a conventional system.
- Variant 2 – no chemical treatments were applied against pests, neither on seeds nor vegetation (ecological system).
The collected material was labeled by variants and repetitions, with only the species of coleoptera being selected, which were then preserved until species determination in a solution of sanitary alcohol that was diluted to a concentration of 20%.Species identification was carried out using specialized identification guides.The collected coleopteran species belonged to the following families: Carabidae, Chrysomelidae, Coccinellidae, Staphylinidae, Scarabaeidae, Tenebrionidae, etc.Some of the most important representatives of these families were: Pseudophonus pubescens, Pseudophonus griseus, Pterostichus cylindricus, Pterostichus niger, Harmonia axyridis, Coccinella 10-punctata, Coccinella septempunctata, Adalia bipunctata, Pentodon idiota, Chrysomela haemoptera, etc.