Published in Scientific Papers. Series A. Agronomy, Vol. LXV, Issue 2
Written by Emil GEORGESCU, Maria TOADER, Alina CREȚU, Cristina RADU, Lidia CANĂ, Luxița RÎȘNOVEANU
Maize leaf weevil (Tanymecus dilaticollis Gyll) is one of Romania's most harmful pests of maize crops. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the different control methods of the maize leaf weevil in conditions of the high pest pressure from a commercial farm, located in one of the most favorable areas for this weevils species, in the southeast of Romania (Mihail Kogălniceanu, Ialomița County). This study has tested foliar treatment with acetamiprid and lambda-cyhalothrin active ingredients, seeds treatment with imidacloprid and cyantraniliprole active ingredients, and granules application with the lambda-cyhalothrin active ingredient. In the spring of 2021, at the experimental site, it has registered a high pest density (15-20 weevils/m2). As a result of the weather's unfavorable conditions for weevils activity on the ground, the pest attack was moderate when maize was in early vegetation stages. At the control (untreated) variant, most of the maize plants had leaves chaffed in the proportion of 50-75%, but the majority of the plants survived after the attack. In this study, lower weevils attack has registered in the case of the variants with seeds treated with imidacloprid and cyantraniliprole active ingredients. From all experimental variants, higher maize yield was recorded in the case of the variant with seeds treated with imidacloprid active ingredient (12501 kg/ha). This study, effectuated in conditions of high pest pressure, in commercial farm conditions, demonstrates that seed treatment with systemic insecticides adequately protects the maize plants in early vegetation stages (BBCH 10-BBCH 14) against maize leaf weevil attack.
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