European rose chafer prevalence on cultivated highbush blueberries

The purpose of this study was to detect the prevalence rate of European rose chafer (<i>Cetonia aurata</i>) on American highbush blueberries (<i>Vaccinium corymbosum</i>). The observation was made from the beginning of flowering to the end of harvest of the blueberry cultivars ‘Duke’, ‘Legacy’, and ‘Huron’. The incidence occurs during the first harvest of the ‘Duke’ cultivar. Three rows per cultivar, with 90 plants per row, were monitored during the research. Insects were collected on 15 infested plants per row, randomly selected, and counted. This procedure was repeated every second day, 3 times a day: in the morning, at noon, and in the afternoon. The highest presence of the insect was recorded at the full ripening phase of the ‘Duke’ cultivar, with 25.5% of bushes being infested and an average of 12.7 beetles per bush counted. The damage percentage varied over the harvesting periods: 29% of the fruits were damaged in the first harvest, 13% in the second harvest, and 8% during the third harvest. While ‘Legacy’ and ‘Huron’ stood out with 5.55% and 3.33% of infected bushes, respectively, and minor fruit damage. This research proves that the European rose chafer in the area of the experiment is a harmful pest of early cultivated blueberry cultivars.