Importance of ecological factors in the regulation of colorado potato beetle populations using the predatory bug Podisus maculiventris

Since the middle of the last century, the practice of using the predatory bug Podisus maculiventris to protect nightshade crops from pests has been known in various regions of the world. In the conditions of the Siberian region, the use of Podisus to regulate the number of Colorado potato beetles has not found wide application to date, which is due to both the availability of the entomophage itself on the market of plant protection products and the need to develop methods and conditions for its use in the production of organic plant products. The paper presents information on the influence of environmental factors on the dynamics of the Colorado potato beetle population, the survival rate and the effectiveness of its entomophage on the colored potato variety Rosemaria. During the years of research, the number of phytophage generations developing during the growing season depended on the temperature factor. In 2023, a high number of the second generation of the Colorado potato beetle was noted, due to the warmer conditions of this growing season, while in 2022, egg-laying and second-generation larvae were single. The influence of local weather conditions on the survival of podisus individuals released into open ground and, as a consequence, on its regulatory activity was noted. Differences in the effectiveness of the entomophage depending on the method of its release were revealed. With uniform dispersal of P. maculiventris nymphs over plants, a decrease in leaf damage by the Colorado potato beetle and an increase in its biological effectiveness were observed compared to the option of releasing podisus at one point. The maximum effectiveness of podisus was noted on the 7th day after its repeated release and was 87.8 and 90.9 % in 2023 and 2022. respectively, in the variant with uniform distribution of the entomophage among plants, while when released at the control point, the biological efficiency was at the level of 63.8 and 64.4 %. The potato yield in the variants using the predatory bug was 1.3-1.5 times higher compared to the control and varied from 124.3±6.6 to 149.9±6.5 c/ha depending on the year of research and the method of release of the entomophage.

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