Population development of colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata) (SAY) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) in Afyonkarahisar province and its some districts

In this this study, the dispersal of potato beetles (Leptinotarsa decemlineata) (Say) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) in the province of Afyonkarahisar and its some districts has been investigated. For this purpose, certain districts in Afyonkarahisar -the central district, Sandıklı, Şuhut, Dinar, Emirdağ, Çobanlar - were visited four times, and the potato beetles were collected and recorded from the prespecified potato fields. In order to detect the existance of entomopathogenic fungus, 1 kg of soil was collected from each field and the samples were sent to the Biological Control, Research and Application Laboratory in the Plant Protection Department in Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Technologies, Isparta University of Applied Sciences. Besides, two potato fields, which have 4 kilometers' distance between, in the district of Bolvadin were settled as the sampling area so as to determine the population change of potato beetles in Afyonkarahisar. Every week, potato beetles (eggs, larvae, pupa) were collected from these fields and recorded. As a result of the studies, it was calculated that the potato beetle in the region could give 3.35 fertilization annually. In the soil samples scooped out from the potato fields in the districts, entomopathogenic fungus was not detected.