The Main Department of the State Service for Food and Consumer Protection in the Kharkiv region reports that, according to specialists from the Department of Phytosanitary Safety and Control in Plant Growing, the harmful turtle bug lays eggs in winter and spring grain crops at a rate of 0.1-1 eggs per sq. m.
This pest causes significant quantitative and qualitative losses to the crop every year. Damage in the «flowering» – «waxy ripeness» phase, usually caused by larvae, can cause partial whiteness and drying of the grain. Damage after the «waxy ripeness» phase, when the grain acquires a hard consistency, leads to deterioration of baking performance, reduced germination and gluten content.
Treatments are effective on younger instar larvae (first and second).
When the economic threshold of harmfulness is exceeded (two or more larvae of the harmful shell bug per square meter in crops of strong and valuable wheat varieties, in other crops - 4 - 6, in barley seed crops - 8 - 10 larvae), urgent measures are taken to chemically protect crops, observing the regulations for the use of pesticides and safety precautions.
The population of winter grain crops with wheat thrips, cereal aphids, and leeches is increasing.
Also, the spread and development of diseases continues in winter wheat crops, namely: powdery mildew, septoria, brown leaf rust, and helminthiasis. Further precipitation and moderate temperatures may contribute to the spread and harmfulness of the above and other diseases.
Agricultural producers are recommended to constantly monitor the phytosanitary condition of winter and spring grain crops and, if the economic threshold of harmfulness of pests and diseases is exceeded, take measures to carry out timely chemical treatments with insecticides and fungicides permitted for use, adhering to the regulations for their use and ensuring the preservation of beneficial entomofauna and honey bees.