1Federal Research Center of Biological Plant Protection, Krasnodar, 350039, Russia
2Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education “Kuban State University”, Krasnodar, 350040, Russia
*Corresponding Author: Alena Nesterova, Federal Research Center of Biological Plant Protection, Krasnodar, 350039, Russia, Email: nesterova.a.u.c@mail.ru
Online published on 20 January, 2026.
Biodiversity loss and destabilization of orchard agroecosystems are key problems in horticulture. Understanding the processes of entomofauna development is essential for developing alternative protection systems for apple trees. The aim of the experiment was to study the composition and structure of the entomocenosis in fruiting and new apple orchards.
The study was carried out in 2024 in Krasnodar Krai, Russia. The objects were new and fruiting apple orchards. Insects were collected with the light traps at four sites.
The study has revealed the fact that the proportion of primary consumers is higher (Bryukhovetskaya - 1.44%, Krasnodar - 2.39%) in fruiting orchards across all experimental sites compared to new orchards, while the proportion of secondary consumers is lower (Bryukhovetskaya - 2.08%, Krasnodar - 1.22%). The total number of arthropod species is higher in new orchards than in fruiting ones. Dangerous pests of other crops that were neutral to apple trees were identified. This work will contribute to the study of the orchard agroecosystems entomofauna development.
Apple tree, Biodiversity, Garden ecosystem, Light traps, Monitoring, Triotroph
