Western Corn Rootworm (Diabrotica virgifera virgifera Le Conte) - a Dangerous Pest of Maize

摘要

In our country, corn is a traditional crop and provides the bulk of concentrated feed and silage for animal husbandry. For the conditions of Northern Bulgaria it is the most widely represented crop and occupies a large part of the area on agriculturalholdings. Very often, it is grown on the same area, leading to a mass multiplication of economically important diseases and pests, including the western corn rootworm - Diabrotica virgifera virgifera Le Conte, which in some years is capable of causing significant damage .Diabrotica virgifera virgifera Le Conte is a widespread species. In the twentieth century, it became a major pest of corn in North America. It was introduced in Europe between 1980 and 2000.In Bulgaria, the western corn rootworm was first established in 1998, entering north-western Bulgaria from Serbia. It is gradually spreading to areas in western and central Bulgaria.The pest is not yet widespread on the territory of the country and this requires a number of measures to be taken to limit and destroy the outbreaks that have occurred.Some peculiarities of the biology of the species cause it to become a dangerous pest: in feeding causes direct damage, adult insects have the ability to spread through active flight, are quickly propagated under favourable conditions and has wide ecological plasticity.