Amaranth grain, as a product for a healthy diet is imported to Europe from India,
USA, South Africa and Peru, therefore the area of amaranth crop are rather small in
European countries. The largest production of amaranth in Europe falls on Austria,
France and Italy. Recently interest in growing amaranth grain appeared in Austria,
Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany and Poland [3].
Amaranth is a relatively new crop in European countries, therefore entomofauna
is rather poor studied, except economically important species, their injuriousness and
protective measures.
In the frame of European Cost-Action 816 [2] (five-year collaboration betrween
researchers from 10 institutions in 7 European countries, including Switzerland,
Slovakia, Hungary etc.) 137 species of phytophagous insects were found on wild
species of Amaranthus: 30 Coleoptera, 47 Homoptera, 34 Hemiptera, 14 Lepidoptera,
11 Thysanoptera, and 1 Orthoptera species. All mentioned species are polyphagous or
olygophagous [21].
Amaranth crop is gradually implemented into agrocoenoses of Ukraine, Russia
and neighboring countries. Some publications of Russian researchers are devoted to
the pests of amaranth. So in Stavropol Territory S. V. Belikova et al. (1991) [1] have
registered the damage of amaranth by Lixus subtilis. In the Kuban this species also is
the part of complex of amaranth pests [32]. Amaranth entomofauna in the in Eastern
Europe until our studies remained poorly known, information about it was practically
absent.
In the region of our studies, in the eastern Forest-steppe of Ukraine, the amaranth
breeding is carried out by T. I. Goptsiy, and her data on amaranth pests were a starting
point for our research. She writes [6], that the greatest harm to amaranth seedlings is
caused by beetles of fleas, which damage the leaves, particularly Chaetocnema
concinna, Ch.
tibialis
, Ch. breviuscula, Ph. nemorum L. and Ph. undulate Kutsch. In
the phase of 4–8 leaves of amaranth, Asproparthenis punctiventris and Tanymecus
palliatus visit amaranth crops in search of food. In the phase of 8–10 leaves in warm
and dry years large population of Aphis fabae appears in amaranth crops. At the same
period
Lixus subtilis and different noctuids are dangerous for this crop. Loxostege
sticticalis in the years of outbreak damages amaranth foliage, as well as Cicadellidae
(Psammotettix striatus L., Macrosteles laevis Rid.) [6].
Place and methods of research. Our research were directed on revealing the
forming of insect species composition associated with cultivated amaranth. Survey and
assessment of insects was carried out by common methods during 2008–2018.
Permanent plots were located in the Scientific training and production center
"Experimental field" of the Kharkov National Agricultural University named after
V. V. Dokuchaev. Route studies were c carried out in the farms of the eastern Forest-
steppe of Ukraine.
Researches were carried out on different amaranth cultivars (Ultra, Sem, Lera,
Kharkovskij etc.), which were bred in the base of species: Amaranthus cruentus L.,
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