Effects of different growing systems and fertiliser rates on attractiveness of maize crop to beetles of Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte and larvae dammage.

Monitoring of plant lodging, yield reaction due to root injures caused by western corn rootworm larvae (WCR) (Diabroticia virgifera virgifera Le Conte) and adults abundance with yellow Multigard and Pherocone AM and pheromone Csalomon traps, were performed in three field trials. First one with 4 variants of maize growing system; maize continuous cropping, two crop rotation (wheat-maize, soybean-maize) and three crop rotation (wheat-soybean-maize), set up in 1985. Second one with 54 variants, both conducted in Zemun Polje. A large scale trial with three rates of NPK mineral fertilizers; (NPK 0 kg/ha, 170 kg/ha and 270 kg/ha with two type of N applied in side dressing (N 0 kg/ha, 50 kg/ha and 80 kg/ha) was set up in Crepaja in 1997, 1998 and 1999. Each variant of fertilizers had two combinations; one treated with insecticide and another one untreated check. Feeding on root system of WCR larvae, in the variants with insecticide application, resulted in plant lodging that ranged in average from 2.1% in 1997, to 61.6% in 1999, while in variant without insecticide application, root damage resulted in plant lodging from 19.5% in 1997, to 56.6% in 1999. Increasing of the nitrogen rates in the variants without application of insecticide tended to raise the percentage of plant lodging Yield reaction on nitrogen application was positive in 1997, first year and 1998, second year of maize monoculture, while in 1999 was negative. Larval injury affected maize yield in the higher extend in extremely dry year 2000, when yield index was 0.37 comparing 2.86 t/ha in maize monoculture to 7.66 t/ha in three crop rotation, 0.54 (2.86: 5.28 maize monoculture: wheat-maize) and 0.55 (2.86: 5.22 maize monoculture: soybean-maize). Adult abundance monitored with yellow sticky and pheromone traps indicate that maize in three crop rotation has the smallest attraction to the migratory WCR beetles. The choice of three crop rotation seems to be the most promising choice for maize growing, which will result with the lowest risk of plant lodging and yield decrease.