The mechanical method of collecting the Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata [SAY, 1824], Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) using a device with passive working elements

An analysis of traditional and alternative methods for combating the Colorado potato beetle in potato cultivation has been conducted. In this study, a device for mechanical collecting the Colorado potato beetle using passive elastic rods has been developed. As the device moves through the potato rows, the elastic rods, when deflected, strike the stems and leaves of the plants. As a result of this shaking action, the beetles fall into collection trays. To test the method using the developed device, the field was divided into 12 plots, each with 6 rows. Three interchangeable plates with one, two, and three rows of elastic rods, made of organoplastic and measuring 150 mm in length, were used for shaking. The device's chamber is equipped with a mechanism for adjusting the inclination angle of the working plate. In the experiments, this angle was set at 50, 150, 250, 300, and higher. The conducted research has determined that at a machine-tractor unit speed of 6.8 km/h and an inclination angle of the working plate α = 250, the maximum value of the Colorado potato beetle collection coefficient kc = 0.914 is achieved. The coefficient of leaf mass damage did not exceed 3.1 %.