Phenology of the sugar beet weevil, Bothynoderes punctiventris Germar (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), in Croatia.

Abstract

The sugar beet weevil (SBW), Bothynoderes punctiventris Germar, 1824, is a significant pest in most of Eastern Europe. Here, the SBW is described and its seasonal activity characterized, in terms of its different developmental stages in relation to Julian days (JDs), degree-day accumulations (DDAs), and precipitation, as a key to improving monitoring and forecasting of the pest. The phenology and population characteristics of SBW were investigated in sugar beet fields in eastern Croatia over a 4-year period (2012-2015). By using the degree-day model (lower development threshold of 5°C, no upper development threshold, biofix 1 January), the first emergence of overwintering adults was determined as becoming established when the DDA reached 20. The adult emergence was completed when the DDA reached 428. SBW males emerged first, following which the females dominated the adult population. Overwintering adults were present in the field until early July. In August, adults of the offspring generation began to appear. The eggs laid by the overwintering generation required, on average, 10-15 days to develop into larvae; however, eggs were found in soil samples over a period of 102 days (between JDs 112 and 214). Larvae were present in the soil samples over a period of a maximum of 143 days (the first larvae were established on JD 122 and the last one on JD 265), and pupae were established in the soil over a period of 102 days (between JDs 143 and 245). This study provides important data for understanding SBW population dynamics and developing potential population dynamic models for pest forecasting on a regional scale.