Sunflower crops are affected by a new pest — the State Production and Consumer Service

In the South of Ukraine, the spider mite began to inhabit sunflower crops. Specialists of the State Production and Consumer Service in the Odesa region told about this.

 

The intensive development and spread of this pest is facilitated by weather conditions — high air temperature and low relative humidity. The optimal temperature for tick development is +29...+31°C, and air humidity is 35-55%. As the temperature rises, the intensity of egg laying increases. During the growing season, the tick can give up to 10-12 generations.

 

As experts noted, until recently, spider mites almost did not harm sunflowers.

 

"Being polyphagous, they preferred soy, vegetable and fruit crops, but climate change led to the spread of new, atypical species for Ukraine, which pose a serious threat to crop production. Therefore, this pest is increasingly found in sunflower and corn fields. Considering the hot weather in June, the speed and intensity of tick reproduction will increase significantly, the activity of mobile stages and their harmfulness will also increase," says the message of the State Production and Consumer Service.

 

Mites mainly inhabit the underside of leaves, where they live in webs. They feed on the sap of plants, piercing the epidermis of the leaf, on which light green spots appear at first, which later merge and form discolored areas (marbling). At the same time, water evaporation increases, there is a loss of chlorophyll and a violation of the functions of the leaf apparatus. Plants lag behind in growth, leaves prematurely dry and fall, stems die. Plants can prematurely end the growing season. This can significantly reduce the yield, especially on crops physiologically weakened by drought.

 

 

 

For the effective protection of sunflower crops, it is necessary to monitor the spider mite and, in case of detection of the pest in phases 2-6 leaves, to carry out acaricide treatment when damage is detected on more than 10% of the plants. Unlike insecticides, acaricides control eggs, larvae and nymphs, they are resistant to high temperatures and sunlight.

 

It will be recalled that previously spider mites were observed on sunflower crops in the Center.