THE EFFECTIVENESS OF APPLYING BIOLOGICAL MEASURES TO PROTECT APPLES TO REDUCE TREATMENT WITH INSECTICIDES

The ecological approach to the maintenance and care of perennial fruit plantations is being applied more and more. In agriculture, biological control of plant diseases and pests is one of the key measures for organic food production. Apple is the most commonly grown fruit species in Serbia. For the production of quality fruits, it is necessary, in addition to regular maintenance, to control pests in the orchard. Damage to apples is caused by several types of insects, the most important of which are: Cydia pomonella, Aphis pomi, Eriosoma lanigerum, Tropinota hirta, Anthonomus pomorum. Larvae and adults also cause damage by feeding on leaves, flowers or young shoots. The goal of the work is to examine the possibility of reducing the presence of the mentioned harmful insects by non-invasive methods, that is, to reduce the number of chemical treatments of apples. The research was conducted in the apple orchard of the Toplica Academy of Vocational Studies. Blue and pink hunting traps have been set. Anise flavorings were added to the aqueous food coloring solution. Hunting traps made of pleated cardboard were placed on ten apple trees, and the weedy inter-row proctor was not mowed during the flowering period of the dandelion Taraxacum officinale. The appearance and abundance of current insects is monitored with blue and pink water traps. By increasing the number of suitable water traps, the intensity of the attack is reduced. The pleated patch served as an alternative for the pupation and development of Cydia pomonella, while the unmown dandelion flower prevented the attack of the root beetle Tropinota hirta and the flower eater Anthonomus pomorum. Pheromone traps, for reducing the number of insects, are one of the more modern methods in fruit growing and plant protection in general. Their role is to use aggregation pheromones to attract and retain as many individuals as possible. There are a solid number of models on the market, and testing their effectiveness is of utmost importance. The results of the research on the effectiveness of the barrier traps showed that there is a possibility of a significant reduction in the population of harmful insects. Inevitably, the presence of individuals of non-target insects was also recorded, with the largest number of individuals belonging to the Coleoptera order. Manipulations with wet traps provide more information about insects that damage apples and apple fruit species. The results showed that the use of biological agents should become an integral part of insect control, which could improve the overall effects of plant production. It should also be borne in mind that many insects are carriers of infections and plant diseases. Biological control, as part of integral protection, aims to maintain pest populations at an economically acceptable level.