Monitoring western corn rootworm (Diabrotica v. virgifera) adults: situation in Romania 2008.

Romania is part of the southeast European expansion zone of the invasive rootworm species Diabrotica v. virgifera LeConte (Col.: Chrysomelidae) (WCR). The pest originated in North America and reached Belgrade airport with US foreign aid air shipments prior to 1992. Today, about 20 years after its introduction, WCR is a major maize pest which regionally causes economic damage to maize. However, it also can colonize secondary hosts which complicates IPM efforts. Basis for sound management is a reliable monitoring system. The easiest and cheapest way is to use Metcalf type monitoring traps for the mobile adults. Sex pheromones and plant kairomones for trapping are commercially available. Traps can be either bought or cheaply prepared. Metcalf traps with adhesive and lure cost about 15 cents per piece. So state-wide trapping is no longer a problem for less affluent countries. Results from two independent locations in 2008 report flight curves and attractively of secondary hosts like Sorghum spp. in relation to the principle host Zea mays. In addition, high capacity traps baited with pheromone are surprisingly effective, and, in combination with the chemically inert, absorptive silica powder AL 06, will be considered as future alternatives in cases where frequent monitoring is unfeasible and were a large holding capacity is indicated.

Biological control of late blight (Phytophthora infestans (Mont.) de Bary) in tomatoes with mycoextracts from Fusarium culmorum and Fusarium graminearum.

Following a screening completed over several species of fungus for establishing the efficiency of the extracts produced from them, against agent causing the late blight--Phytophthora infestans--two species of fungus were selected--Fusarium graminearum and Fusarium culmorum--in order to employ them and their strains with different virulence in the pathosystem fungi/Lycopersicumm esculentum. The utilized extracts are based on ethanol and obtained from mycelium and culture filtrate. Extract was applied 2 and respectively 7 days before the artificial inoculation, realized on the detached tomato's leaves and maintained at 17 degrees C and air relative humidity of 100%. The evaluation was done 6 days after the inoculation. The results show that for the treatment applied 2 days before inoculation the intensity of the attack was reduced by aprox. 60% compared with the control but for the inoculation at 7 days after the treatment, the intensity was not diminished.