Biotechnological aspects of sawflies number control in blackcurrant plantations

The study aimed to compare the effectiveness of biotechnological methods of controlling the Pristiphora rufipes sawfly population on black currant (Ribes nigrum) in the forest-steppe zone of Ukraine and to identify environmental factors affecting effectiveness. The study was conducted using 20 plots (0.1 hectares each) divided into four groups: treatment with the biological product Bacillus thuringiensis, entomopathogenic fungi (Beauveria bassiana, Metarhizium anisopliae), a combination of fungi with pheromone traps and control without treatment. The effectiveness was assessed through weekly monitoring of pest numbers, the degree of leaf damage according to the scale of the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organisations, and analysis of climatic parameters. The integrated group demonstrated the highest efficiency: the number of larvae decreased by 85±4% (p<0.001), adults by 60±6%, and the average score of leaf damage was 1.2 ± 0.1 against 4.1 ± 0.3 in the control. The Bacillus thuringiensis group showed a 72 ± 5% reduction in larvae (p < 0.001) with stability to temperatures of 15-25°C, but the effectiveness dropped to 65% after 20 days. The fungi reduced the population by 65 ± 7% (p75%), but effect was halved in the drought. The control group recorded a population growth of 25 ± 3%. Regression analysis showed that the integrated approach explained 89% of the variance (R2 = 0.89) in pest reduction. A comparative analysis with the Kyrgyzstan Ribes species (Ribes meyeri, Ribes saxatile) indicated the potential of using phytochemical adaptations for breeding resistant varieties. The results demonstrated that the combination of biological products with pheromones is the optimal strategy to reduce dependence on chemical insecticides in the forest-steppe zone of Ukraine, incorporating local climatic conditions (temperature, humidity) and biological characteristics of the pest. The study has practical implications for the development of sustainable berry crop protection systems