Ilie Vonica
Central Laboratory for Phytosanitary Quarantine; Bucharest-Romania
In 1992 was discovered the attack caused by Western Corn Rootworm in Europe - Serbia, Yugoslavia. Based on the analysis of the phytosanitary risk for Romania, which cultivates 3 millions hectares of corn, every year, the pest was included on "The phytosanitary Quarantine list of organisms in Romania», according to the Order of The Ministry of Agriculture. Consequently. Romania participated within the international work teams for Diabrotica (IWGO starting with 1995 and EPPO, starting with 1996), then since 1997 within FAO Project TCP/RER/6712 (A) "Development and implementation of Containment of the Western Corn Rootworm in Europe.
The work meetings on teams and on FAO Project, settled methods and the necessary materials for recording the first adults and for the dissemination of them) in time and space, between 1995-1999, as follows: the visual checking of the corn crops and international and domestic transportation, coming from the WCR infested country/areas; from July to October monitoring the WCR adults using different traps: Cucurbitacin (1995-1996), Multigard yellow sticky (1996 - 1999) and Hungarian pheromones (1997 - 1999). All these ware installed in 8 counties 1997 and 11 counties in 1998. and.. 1999, located in the west -and the southwest of the country,. neighboring Yugoslavia - Serbia and Hungary.
Starting with 1997, the traps. were used in pairs.(one with pheromones and one Multigard, at each 20'-50m). The distance between the pair-traps was 5-30 km depending on the type of the land, the location of the corn crops, the dissemination of the WCR adults and if the area was infested or not- For ceasing or slowing the dissemination of WCR adults there have been organized dams of 3-4 lines of traps on streams. The yearly number of pair-traps that has been used is 398 in 1997,240 in 1998 and 241 in 1999, from which 27 permanent traps in 1997 and 1998 and 43 in 1999, The traps with pheromones were changed monthly and those with Multigard at every 2 weeks.