Outbreak conditions of Sunn pest, Eurygaster maura L., 1758 (Hemiptera: Scutelleridae): Model of Central Anatolia (Türkiye)

Abstract

In this study, outbreak conditions of Sunn pest, Eurygaster maura L., 1758 (Hemiptera: Scutelleridae), the main agricultural pest of wheat, Triticum aestivum L., 1753 (Poaceae: Poales) which is the most important crop of the Central Anatolia (Türkiye) in terms of cultivation area and production was investigated. For this purpose, population density of adult sunn pests in its overwintering site and wheat cultivation area were evaluated for Central Anatolian provinces for the years between 1988 and 2021. It is observed that population density of sunn pest reached the level that requires control in 1988 for the first time. After, there were three infestation periods up to 2021 and each of them lasted for 4 years. First of them occurred between 1993 and 1996. It is observed that when average density of overwintered adult sunn pests exceeds 30 per square meter, there can be infestation in all overwintering sites of Central Anatolia. Also, there is a correlation between this density and the intensity of the infestation. Throughout the infestation periods, average temperature was determined as 20 ºC during the reproduction and development period, and it was recorded over 19 ºC during the season when temperature changes and relocations were high in overwintering site.