The importance of the identification of Agriotes larvae to implement IPM in arable crops

Abstract: The implementation of IPM strategies against wireworms has been extremely difficultbecause until few years ago, there was a shortage of reliable information on the key aspects of thespecies concerned. In the last couple of decades information about the behavior of the larvae ofthe most important species for agriculture and reliable economic threshold has been discovered.This information can be really useful to implement IPM in arable crops if the determination ofthe larva can be easily and quickly done. The results of this research with regard to the speciesAgriotes brevis, A. sordidus, A. ustulatus in north-eastern Italy and the practical implications forIPM are described. The above Agriotes species showed a different response to bait traps so it isnecessary to assess thresholds (expressed as number of larvae/bait trap) for each of theassociations crop-wireworm species provided the bait traps have been placed out in properconditions. Thresholds for maize crop are reported.