A new product for the control of arthropod pests in industrial apple orchards in the Forest-Steppe of Ukraine

Goal. To investigate the effectiveness of the insecticide Jalentra, CS (chlorantraniliprole, 106 g/l + bifenthrin, 159 g/l) in reducing the population and harmfulness of phytophagous arthropods and its impact on the productivity indicators of apple trees in commercial orchards. Methods. Route surveys were conducted from 2015 to 2024 in horticultural farms in the Forest-Steppe zone of Ukraine (Chernivtsi, Vinnytsia, Cherkasy, Poltava, and Kyiv regions) to determine the species composition and population density of major pests, the areas of orchards they infest, including the codling moth and various leafrollers, sucking pests (scale insects, false scale insects, aphids, and fruit mites). Research was carried out in 2023—2024 in commercial apple orchards under the conditions of the university’s educational and production department. The technical efficiency of Jalentra, CS (chlorantraniliprole, 106 g/l + bifenthrin, 159 g/l) was evaluated at different application rates against plant-feeding mites and insects damaging leaves, shoots, and generative organs of trees and its impact on apple productivity in commercial orchards. The accounting was carried out according to standard methods in fruit growing and plant protection. Results. According to route surveys in apple orchards of the Forest-Steppe of Ukraine, the most numerous and harmful arthropod species during the summer growing season included 21 phytophagous species, specifically: Three mite species (family Tetranychidae); Three aphid species (suborder Aphidinea); Four scale insect and false scale insect species (suborder Coccidae); Five leafroller species (family Tortricidae); Six moth species (family Gracillariidae). During 2023—2024, the most harmful species in the university’s commercial apple orchards were: Mites: red fruit mite, common spider mite; Aphids: green apple aphid, red-gall or gray apple aphid, woolly apple aphid; Scale insects: California red scale, oyster shell scale (or false California scale), acacia false scale; Moths: rose leafroller, netted leafroller, timid leafroller, codling moth; Leaf-mining moths: hawthorn blotch miner, apple lower-side leaf miner, apple upper-side fruit miner. The application of Jalentra, CS resulted in a population reduction of: Mites by 87.9—90.5%; Aphids by 90.9—94.8%; Scale insects and false scale insects by 83.8—90.7%; Moths by 90.8—96.1%. This contributed to obtaining high-quality apple production, with yields 1.39—1.43 times higher than the control (water treatment). The percentage of non-standard products did not exceed 13.1%, compared to 24.8% in the control. The study also confirmed an increase in the biometric indicators of trees, namely: Annual shoot length: +2.0—14.5%; Internode length: +8.8—9.5%; Shoot thickness: 1.05 times thicker; Leaf surface area: +19.6—30.8%. These factors are crucial for forming fruit buds and future yields in apple orchards. No phytotoxic effects of the insecticide on plants were observed during the study. Conclusions. The application of Jalentra, CS (0.25—0.4 l/ha) effectively reduces the harmfulness of major arthropods in commercial apple orchards, providing long-term pest control during the growing season. It improves tree biometric parameters, increases yields, and enhances the commercial quality of apple production. For mites, woolly apple aphids, and California red scale, the recommended application rate is 0.35—0.4 l/ha. The technical efficiency results of Jalentra, CS against major arthropods in apple orchards suggest that it should be recommended to the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine for further registration for apple orchards at the specified application rates and inclusion in the national list of approved pesticides and agrochemicals for use in Ukraine.