MONITORING THE BIOLOGY OF THE CORN ROOTWORM (DIABROTICA VIRGIFERA), FOR THE REGION OF KORCA

Besnik SKËNDERASI, Nikolin KARAPANCI, Shpend SHAHINI

Abstract

In recent years, the Korça region has planted an average of 6700 - 7000 ha of corn for grain. The most widespread cultivars for planting are mainly medium cycle, while long cycle is mainly planted Pioneer 630 Fao variety. During 2021, the corn rootworm Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte, appeared sporadically. In 2022, this pest affected about 4,000 ha of corn, mainly in the flat area, and the highest rate of infection appeared in the Maliqi field. The pest was not present in the Korça region. Climate change, where mild winters leave the place to hot summers, favors the emergence of many pathogens and pests that were not previously present in this region. This pest has been detected and monitored in the flat area of our country since 1999 using the sex pheromone 8 – methyl – decane – 2 – oylpropanate. Until now, there has been no real study of Diabrotica virgifera for the Korça region. The insect mainly damages the root system of the corn, but also the female flower of the corn and the leaves, causing significant damage to the production. This is the first monitoring of Diabrotica virgifera, in the district of Korça.

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