Current situation of insects species which are affecting the plants in The Botanical Park of Timisoara

Abstract

The green spaces represent places of relaxation and release from the daily stress for many of the inhabitants of Timisoara but also from the other villages of the Timis county. The botanical park or botanical garden is one of the most visited green places, being located near the central historical area and also constituting an important didactic and scientific support. The plants that enter its composition are both herbaceous and arboreous. In the last 10 years since its rearrangement, a number of plants have been affected by insects, either indigenous or invasive. A current overview of the analyzed landscape shows that it has lost its aesthetic and scientific qualities, so that areas with healthy plants alternate with areas with affected plants (natural color change, appearance of sticky secretions and inadequate odors due to the attack of Hemiptera, premature maturation, etc.). For an efficient management of the monitoring activities, the park was divided into 5 sectors, in which, 10 observation points were established. Monthly, during May-September, 2019, readings were made at each observation point (identified with the help of GPS mobile). From our observations it was found that the following species of insects were present, at a medium and high population level: Metcalfa pruinosa, Nezara viridula, Cydalima perspectalis, Cameraria ohridella Tetranychus urticae, Eriophyes tiliae, Trialeurodes vaporariorum, Aphis gossypii and Eriosoma lanigerum. Also other species were observed, but at a lower level. We focused mainly on invasive species, which unfortunately were the most aggressive, in many cases their attack manifesting until the plant is compromised. This is the case of the species Metcalfa pruinosa (from Hemiptera) and Cydalyma perspectalis (from Lepidoptera) which have proved to be the most dangerous insect species for the plants in the botanical park.