Technology efficiency of biological control of plum pests by complex microbial preparation

In the article the research results are presented on the efficiency of a biological control technology of plum trees, infected with the dominant plum pests, using a complex microbial preparation. The preparation was based on microbial strains with fungicidal (Pseudomonas aureofaciens) and insecticidal (Streptomyces avervitilis) properties, which were stored in the Microbial Culture Collection of the Engineering Technological Institute “Biotekhnika” of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine. Both microbial strains were cocultured on a liquid growth medium for the complex microbial preparation. The field trials were carried out in 2021-2023 on the right-bank side of the Western Forest-Steppe of Ukraine in the plantations of the Institute of Horticulture of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine on plum trees of the Stanley variety against the main pests: gray bud weevil Sciaphobus squalidus, plum codling moth Grapholita funebrana, plum pollinated aphid Hyalopterus pruni, and black plum sawfly Hoplocampa minuta. The technology was to be affected as 2-6 sprayings of the plum plants with the complex microbial preparation, depending on the type of the pest. Counting of the pest distribution was made before and after the treatment. The test results showed that applying the complex preparation significantly reduced the number of major plum pests. The efficiency of the technology ranged from 57.1% to 89.4% depending on the type of the pest. This confirms its practicability for biological control of fruit pests by a novel complex microbial preparation under the conditions of organic gardening. The high efficiency of the preparation can be explained by synergic action of the microorganisms with different taxonomic status on pests. The application of the complex preparation makes it possible to expand the range of the biological plant protection products and save the natural environment.