engleski

The entomofauna of the weed Abutilon theophrasti in Croatia

Abutilon theophrasti Med. is a weed of the asian provenience. It is spread in many european countries and its presence is also registered in whole continental region of Croatia. The importance of Abutilon theophrasti in Croatia as a noxious weed in corn, sugarbeet, soyabean and sunflower is increasing. The importance in the US is shown by the interess of the USDA to establish the fauna of this weed in Croatia in order to find out potential agents of biocontrol. Therefore, in 1996 a project together with the USDA started. Results mentioned in our poster are obtained in this project during the first year of research. The feeding of eight different species of insects on Abutilon theophrasti under the laboratory and field conditions was established. Seven species of Lepidoptera (Fam: Hesperiidae, Torticidae and Noctuide) were found damaging flower, seed, leaf and stem. One species of Coleoptera (Podagrica sp.) was found as a leaf predator. All found insects as much as insects which will be found forthcoming years will be submitted to further trials in order to find out their suitability as biocontrol agents.

Abutilon; theophrasti; entomofauna

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