Impact of weather parameters on seasonal abundance of major insect-pests of bottle gourd in arid climates
Weather impact on bottle gourd pests
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21921/jas.v12i03.15251Keywords:
bitter gourd, Correlation, fruitfly, red pumpkin beetle, regression, Leaf damage, InfestationAbstract
The field experiment was conducted during Kharif, 2023 season at Sri Karan Narendra College of Agriculture, Jobner to investigate the impact of weather parameters on seasonal abundance of major insect-pests on bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria). The study revealed that red pumpkin beetle population was prevalent during vegetative and reproductive stages of the crop, while the fruit fly population was primarily associated with the reproductive stage. The incidence of red pumpkin beetle on bottle gourd varied from 0.28 to 3.72 beetles per plant, and leaf damaged escalated to 31.20% by 40th SMW. Fruit flies commenced in 36th SMW, initially with infestation rates of 16.67% by number and 15.07% by weight basis. As the season progressed, infestation levels increased, reaching their 40th SMW at 31.82% by number and 29.27% by weight basis. Correlation studies showed a significant positive relationship between the red pumpkin beetles and leaf damage with maximum temperature. For fruit flies, infestation levels were positively with sunshine hours, while minimum temperature and evaporation exhibited significantly negative correlations with fruit fly infestation both in terms of number and weight basis. This study provides valuable insights into the seasonal abundance of major insect-pests on bottle gourd during its vegetative and reproductive stages in the arid climate of Rajasthan and will help appropriate pest management strategies under prevailing climatic conditions.
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