Published in Scientific Papers. Series "Management, Economic Engineering in Agriculture and rural development", Vol. 18 ISSUE 1
Written by György SZABÓ

Knowing that we have respected the 3-4 years crop rotation, in the previous years we did not realise the damages caused by pests of the potato. In some cases, even knowing that the land was pest-free, we found that certain species are present, such as globodera wireworms, ditylenchus, meloidogyne and pratylenchu. Root mites /rhizoglyphus echnopus/ can cause serious damage. Their damage is twofold, the first one being direct and the second one indirect. Indirect damage consists of the fact that the pests open the doors to secondary infections which reach the lesions by clinging to the insects. Afterwards the fungi and bacteria can cause to these lesions bigger damage than the primary pests. Looking for the reasons of such infestation and presence of pests in the soil, asking for other experts’ opinions on soil analysis, it was earnestly started to think about controlling these pests. Being aware of the existence of biological pest control, it was contacted the company BIÓVÉD 2005 kft which provided the hyperparasitic fungus Arthrobotris oligospora. The research performed in parallel on crops such as tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, cauliflower, peppers, carrots, parsley, in the vegetable fields in the South-East of Hungary and in the Covasna County depression. The purpose of the paper was to monitor the activity of the A. Oligospora fungus in the soil at various temperatures, at various stages of the life cycle of the potato crop and to apply the optimal dosage of fungus on a preset surface. The conclusion was that the treatment split between autumn and spring gives the best results because the rains falling in August – September and March respectively help the hyperparasitic fungus to penetrate the soil at the proper depths for it to take effect.

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