Forecasting of major sugarbeet pest occurrence in Serbia during the period 1961-2004

In Serbia, sugar beet is grown in the province of Vojvodina mostly. The increase in areas sown to this crop in the province from 30,000 hectares in 1931-1939 to over 70,000 in 1951-2000 provided a large boost to the reproduction of sugar beet pests in this part of the country. More than 15 species are considered major pests of sugar beet. The Department of Plant and Environmental Protection of the Faculty of Agriculture in Novi Sad and the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops in Novi Sad have been making forecasts of the occurrence of major sugar beet pests since 1961. Over the last 30 years (1975-2004), the following average pest numbers per meter square at the end of the growing season have been recorded: Bothynoderes punctiventris (3.3), Elateridae (3.6), Melolonthidae (1.0), Scotia spp. (0.4), Mamestra spp. (1.5) and Scrobipalpa ocellatella (14.8). In addition to these population dynamics of the following pest species are also monitored: Lixus scabricollis, Chaetocnema tibialis, Cassida spp., Aphis fabae, Pemphigus fuscicornis, Autographa gamma and Loxostege sticticalis.