Structure, dynamics, and abundance of beetle species from a corn crop from the western area of Romania

Abstract

The observations regarding the useful and harmful fauna belonging to the Coleoptera order were made in the western part of Romania in a corn crop in Arad county. For these observations, 12 pitfall traps were used, and they were placed in the culture in two rows of 6 per row from the beginning of the emergence of the plants until harvesting at intervals of about 2 weeks per during the year 2022 on the following calendar dates: 15.05, 29.05, 12.06, 26.06, 24.07, 7.08, 21.08, 4.09, and 18.09. Only carabid species were retained from the collected material. The experience was organized in two variants: Variant 1 is represented by an ecological corn culture where no chemical treatment was done to combat pathogens and pests. Variant 2, represented by a corn crop grown in a conventional system where chemical treatments were applied both to the seed and to the crop to combat pathogens and pests. Among the carabid species collected, I mention Pterostichus pubescens, Harpalus distinguendus, Ophonus azureus, Anysodactilus signatus, etc. In general, a greater diversity and an important number of carabids are found in the corn crop cultivated in an ecological system (variant 1).