Trichograms. Beneficial insects (entomophages)

15.02.2018

Hello, dear subscribers, readers and just out of curiosity on the blog dachka-ogorodik.ru! And again we turn to the topic of biological plant protection, but now let's talk about entomophages, namely the trichogram of the egg-eater will be discussed further.

The female Trichogramma lays her eggs in the eggs of the pest, preferably freshly laid ones. The larvae feed on the contents of the host's egg, and by the time of its pupation, the egg of the host insect acquires a characteristic black color with a bluish or brown tint. Adults hatched from pupae gnaw holes in its shell and come out. Individuals of Trichogramma are born sexually mature.

Immediately after leaving the host's egg, the Trichogramma mates, then searches for and infects the eggs of the pest. The female lays up to 50 eggs, most of them in the first day of life. IN natural conditions without food, Trichogramma lives for 2-4 days, with nectar feeding up to 15 days, and on average - 8 days.

The development, reproduction and activity of Trichogramma are favored by temperatures ranging from 18 to 30 degrees, relative humidity 60-95%. Trichogramma is light-requiring, especially active in sunlighthowever avoids direct sunlight. It moves along the plant "on foot" and makes short flights. Within one generation of the host pest, the trichogramma is able to settle within a radius of up to 30 meters, and with the wind it can spread to a greater distance.

A positive feature of Trichogramma is the speed of its reproduction, which lasts on average from 8 days at a temperature of 30 degrees to 21 days at a temperature of 18 degrees. For one generation, the trichogramma scoop gives 2-3 generations.

During the season, from 8 to 12 generations of trichogramma develop. She has no permanent owner. In the spring, it flies out earlier than its owners and often dies due to the absence of pest eggs. Usually in vivo in spring scoop eggs are infected with natural trichogramma by 1-10%.

To increase the number, trichogramma is artificially bred in biolabs and at the beginning of the pest's egg-laying. In arid regions, trichogramma should be primarily used in irrigated agriculture, where the microclimate contributes to the reservation of the meadow moth, harmful scoops and is favorable for the reproduction of trichogramma. To replace chemical treatments on vegetable and field crops, it is effective to combine the introduction of trichogramma with the use of microbiological preparations.

Trichogramma release technique

The only difficulty in using Trichogramma is that its masonry cannot be stored for a long time. However, this is not necessary, since it can be ordered via the Internet without any problems and received by mail delivery or by road carrier. Trichogramma is packaged in well-ventilated paper bags. By the way, the prices for trichograms are rather low (in Ukraine, about 50-100 hryvnias), and the effect of its use will remain for the whole season.

At the end of the growing season, their number increases significantly, they can cope with pests even without additional release. This is especially true with the current outbreak of the number of scoops, which literally ate tomatoes in many areas. The production rate of trichogramma per 1 ha depends on the number of pests and is recommended from 1 to 2 grams for our standard 6 ares.

It is necessary to settle the trichogramma into plots after it hatches! To do this, the bags are placed in a warm room until the mass hatching of the egg-eater, which usually occurs on the 2-3rd day after receiving the trichogram from the laboratory. The release should be done in warm weather, preferably in the morning (from 7 to 11 am) and in the evening (from 17 to 20 hours). Trichogramma is most active from 7 to 11 am.

Before releasing, wilted leaves (blackweed, wormwood, acacia) or pieces of crumpled paper (but not glossy!) Are placed in a jar with a wide mouth or bucket. Carefully unfolding the package, sweep the trichogramma into a jar and tie the neck with a dense cloth to avoid spreading the trichogramma. She needs 3-4 hours to creep on leaves or paper in a jar. After that, it can be laid out on the site.

When trichogramma is released at 50 points, 40-50 pieces of paper or crumpled paper are put in the jar. Leaves (pieces of crumpled paper) must be removed carefully so as not to shake off or damage the trichogram. If it is impossible to make a trichogram on the scheduled date due to weather conditions (strong wind, rain), then it can be stored in a refrigerator or cellar at a temperature of + 2-4 degrees, no more than two days.

In order for the Trichogramma not to undergo mechanical damage during transportation, opening packages, care must be taken. It is forbidden to place a package with a trichogram in direct sunlight, since the biomaterial can be worn out and die.

A very active small (0.3-0.6 mm) insect, belongs to the order of Hymenoptera.

Trichogramma lays its eggs in the egg of an insect pest. While developing, its cub larva eats the contents of the host insect egg. Adult trichograms feed only on plant nectar and dew. Therefore, in order to retain and attract trichogramma in the garden, it is advisable to sow more umbrella plants and form green hedges. Trichogramma really does not like pesticides that simply kill her.

Trichogramma application

Awakened insects can be fed for some time by putting a cotton swab dipped in water solution honey or sugar (1 teaspoon of sugar per 50 ml of water).

For more effective settlement of your site with trichogramma, it is advisable to give this insect time to settle on dried acacia leaves or at least on crushed crumpled paper. To do this, we place both the trichogramma and the leaves of acacia / paper in a glass jar with a capacity of 0.5-1 l, cover with coarse calico! with a cloth (the insect crawls into the weave of chintz fabric without problems) and hold it for a while until it settles (we determine it visually). Then we carefully (with tweezers, for example) lay out the leaves with the trichogramma on trees, bushes or other plants of interest, but not on the ground!

Release rate: 100,000-400,000 individuals / ha, i.e. - 10-40 thousand. individuals per 10 cells.

Frequency of releases: every 7 days after the beginning of the summer of pests throughout the growing season, since Trichogramma chooses freshly laid eggs of pests for laying eggs.

Supplied in bags.

Weight - 0.5g

The number of individuals - 40,000 pcs.

Trichogramma is packaged in paper bags from 1 to 20 grams.

1 gram contains 80 thousand individuals. Packets with contents are placed in warm room for mass hatching of Trichogramma, it usually occurs in 3-5 days.

For uniform distribution Trichogramma is produced in at least 50 points on a field per hectare, and on one fruiting tree it is released from four sides to a height of 1.5-2 m.To do this, an open bag with a sprouting trichogram is placed in a wide-necked dish, then filled with leaves of weeds or paper. When the insects crawl over the leaves, these leaves with trichogramma are laid out on the plants.

Trichogramma should be released in warm, calm weather. In unfavorable weather conditions, the hatched Trichogram is placed in a refrigerator with a temperature of 2 ° + 4 ° C, where it can be stored for up to 5 days, after which it must be released into nature.

To avoid the death of the trichogramma during transportation and opening of packages, care must be taken.

In production use Trichogramma is released in two periods: the first - at the very beginning of the egg-laying of each pest generation, the second - at the beginning of the mass egg-laying.

Trichogramma release should be carried out in warm, calm weather in the early morning or evening hours.

Release rate

The trichogramma release rate depends on the type of pest, its number, fertility and the number of eggs on the plant.

Perennial grasses - 40-80 thousand individuals / ha

Peas - 80-120 thousand individuals / ha

Beet. potatoes - 40-80 thousand individuals / ha

Cabbage (3-fold processing) - 120-320 thousand individuals / ha

apple tree, plum (2 times) - 1 g per 4 trees (20 thousand individuals / 1 tree)

In order to avoid the death of the trichogramma during transportation and opening of packages, care must be taken. Compliance with the methodology and rate of release of Trichogramma guarantees high efficiency.

E Each year, the farmer needs to protect the potential corn crop from pests. Pests such as stem moth and scoops are especially fond of corn. They can become the reason for the unaccounted for quintals of the crop, so they must be neutralized in corn crops. For this, there are chemical and biological control methods. Today we are talking about effective biological method - introduction of trichogramma (Trichogramma). What is a trichogramma, how and when to make it?

H The most harmful to corn are stem moth, cotton moth, grain moth and other types of scoops. In the first half of summer, pests pupate, mate and lay eggs. At this time, we must track the appearance of pests and predict the deposition of eggs. It should be noted that these periods do not coincide in different types pests - stem moth lays eggs earlier on corn than cotton bollworm. How to predict the appearance and identify pests, we wrote in.

What is a Trichogramma?

IN agriculture use the usual and range trichogram. The usual trichogramma is revived after application at the same time, and the range one - at certain intervals several times. If a range trichogram is entered, the protection period will be longer.

P Life expectancy of Trichogramma in field conditions is 2-5 days. The female lays most of the eggs in the first three days, destroying the eggs of corn pests.

When and how much to deposit?

P The period of trichogramma introduction is determined by the appearance of pests. 7 days after the appearance of the first scoops in pheromone traps or troughs, the corn crops should be examined. If you find the first egg-laying of pests - apply trichogramma within 2 days!

R Asselenaya Trichogramma is reproduced partially in natural conditions, therefore the effect of one application of Trichogramma lasts about 10 days After 10-12 days, the next application should be carried out in order to prolong the protection of the crop from the pest.

E The effective rate of trichogramma application is 100 thousand per hectare. If there is a lot of pest, the rate should be increased. If you find 2-4 clutches of pest eggs per 100 plants, then the application rate is 100 thousand / ha. If 5-7 clutches - 150 thousand / ha, 8-10 clutches - 200 thousand / ha.

How to add Trichogramma?

T the rihogram can be laid out manually and entered with a hang glider.

H To expand the trichogram by hand, the trichogram is thrown into the jar and the jar is filled with material that will decompose on the field. For example, acacia leaves. Then, the contents of the jar are applied per hectare.

D To enter trichogramma with a hang glider, he must have special equipment. Application is carried out at a height of no more than 10 meters, the width between the hang glider passes should be no more than 25 meters.

M The material used for filling is semolina. It is also needed to check the equipment settings and control the application. For a trial application on 10 hectares of area, you need 100 grams of semolina and 10 grams of trichogramma. In addition, 2 extra grams of semolina are placed in the container and after a trial application, the same amount of excess semolina should remain there. If this happens, it means that the hang glider equipment for application is set up correctly and it is possible to apply the trichogram for the entire area.

To become an eco-farmer and go to organic farming you need to stop using pesticides. To do this, they must be replaced with biological plant protection products, and read about one of these in our material.

It's no secret that the excessive use of pesticides, which began from time immemorial, has led to environmental degradation. In this regard, organic farming began to gain more and more popularity, in which only organic fertilizers and means of protection are used.

How it works?

From May to August, pests on various plants begin to pupate, mate and lay their eggs. At this time, it is necessary to track the appearance of pests and predict egg deposition. It should also be borne in mind that several outbreaks of insect activity may occur during this period. For example, the stem moth develops on corn earlier than the cotton bollworm, so the crops have to be processed several times.

In agriculture, the usual and ranged trichogram is used. Normal spawns after being applied at the same time, and ranged - at certain intervals several times. Thus, if a range trichogram is entered, the protection period will be longer.

The life span of a trichogramma in the field is 2-5 days. The female lays most of the eggs in the first three days, while destroying the eggs of pests.

When and how much to deposit?

The period of application of Trichogramma is determined by the appearance of pests on various plants. At the same time, there are also standard terms for its introduction, at this time the pests are most active. So, for example, in mid-May, trichogramma should be applied for sowing wheat, barley and peas, at the end of the month - to protect cabbage, pepper, tomato and sugar beet. The insect is also used to treat corn and sunflower in late June and July, respectively. It should be remembered that after the first detection of pest eggs, the trichogram must be applied within two days.

If the crops are susceptible to a large number of different pests, then several "resettlements" of trichograms can be made. For example, such plants include corn, cabbage and sunflower. Basically, two approaches are made for the treatment of crops and the difference between the resettlement takes 10-14 days. Exceptions are orchards - in this case, trichograms are sprayed three times with the same interval.

The effective trichogramma application rate is 100-200 thousand individuals per hectare. Depending on the number of pests and the type of plant, the required level of application of the remedy may fluctuate in this range. For example, if you do one settlement, then for processing sunflower crops you need to apply from 100 thousand trichograms per hectare, two settlements - 60 thousand each. This is the optimal level, but if there are a lot of pests, then the rates can be increased.

Trichogramma will cost you 25-30 UAH per 100 thousand individuals. But you also need to take into account the cost of its introduction.

How to add Trichogramma?

Trichogramma can be resettled manually, as well as with the help of drones, drones, airplanes or hang gliders. The first method is only effective on small fields. To decompose the trichogramma by hand, it is thrown into a jar, which is filled with decomposing material. For example, acacia leaves. Then the contents of the can are added per hectare.

It is important to remember that Trichogramma must be stored in a refrigerator with a temperature of 2-4 ° C before adding. Having taken out from the cold, eggs with insects are kept for 1-1.5 days at room temperature... The awakened Trichogramma can be seen with the naked eye - it runs intensively over the packet. Only after it has hatched can it be settled in the field.

To apply trichogramma using flying equipment, it must be equipped with a tank with material and a spray. In this case, the application is carried out at a height of no more than 10 meters. The filling material is semolina. It is also needed to check the equipment settings and control the application. For a trial application on 10 hectares of area, 100 g of semolina and 10 g of trichogram are needed. In addition, two extra grams of semolina are placed in the container, and after a trial application, the same amount of excess semolina should remain there. If this happens, it means that the application equipment is set up correctly and you can apply the trichogram to the entire area.

Is it profitable to make a trichogram and where is it used?

To understand how beneficial the use of trichogramma is, let us turn to such a concept as biological effectiveness. In Ukraine, this indicator is at the level of 65-75%. That is, 65-75% of pests will be destroyed if you use Trichogramma for processing crops. This is a good result, because, for example, in Germany, the biological effectiveness of this insect is. Trichogramma can be used most effectively in Australia and Brazil - 80-100%.

Mostly Ukrainians use trichogramma to protect vegetables and grain crops. In some other countries it is used for other plants. For example, in Vietnam it is used to protect tobacco, in Australia - plums and cotton, in Egypt - sugarcane and olives, in India - citrus fruits. But there is one crop that is processed by this method in almost every country - corn.

Eco-friendly products are much more expensive than conventional products. And one of the ways to increase farmers' profits can be to switch to eco-friendly products. And the use of trichograms is the first step towards organic production that will save you from chemical treatment of crops.