Phytosanitary condition of winter wheat agrocenosis in the Southern Steppe of Ukraine

It is established that winter wheat belongs to the oldest crops and is the main food product in many countries. In Ukraine, the sown area of winter wheat is 5–6 million hectares. More than half of winter wheat grain production falls on the steppe zone. Cereal crops are damaged by insects in all growing zones, especially in the steppe zone of Ukraine. This is due to both the significant diversity of harmful species and the fact that in this area they reproduce most quickly and intensively. In addition, the lack of spring and summer precipitation exacerbates the negative significance of damage. Feeding insects on cereals causes a wide variety of damage, both in nature and in consequences for plants and crops. It is determined that one of the urgent problems of winter wheat protection is the study of patterns of dynamics of the number of major pests in modern agrobiocenoses. According to many scientists, global warming has affected the structure of entomocomplexes, as it optimizes environmental factors for the activities of insects, leads to their reproduction and spread. Harmful entomocomplex of winter wheat covers more than 360 species of insects. They damage the plants of this strategically important crop during all periods of growth. However, the species structure, level of dominance, number and harmfulness of insects are constantly varying, largely due to changes in climatic conditions associated with global warming.