Seasonal Incidence and Population Dynamics of Major Insect Pests on Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L. Moench) and Their Correlation with Weather Parameters
Abhi Paliwal
*
Department of Entomology, Raja Balwant Singh College, Bichpuri, Agra 283 105, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Sitanshu
Department of Entomology, Raja Balwant Singh College, Bichpuri, Agra 283 105, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Anup Pratap Singh
ICAR-Directorate of Knowledge Management in Agriculture, Krishi Anusandhan Bhawan-I, Pusa, New Delhi-110 012, India.
Anjali Yadav
Department of Entomology, Raja Balwant Singh College, Bichpuri, Agra 283 105, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Bhawna
Department of Entomology, Raja Balwant Singh College, Bichpuri, Agra 283 105, Uttar Pradesh, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
A field experiment was conducted during the kharif season of 2025 to study the seasonal incidence of major insect pests of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench) in relation to weather parameters. Whitefly (Bemisia tabaci Gennadius) and jassid (Amrasca biguttula biguttula Ishida) were the major sucking pests and shoot and fruit borer (Earias vittella Fabricius) was the major borer recorded on the crop. Whitefly and jassid first appeared in the 34th standard meteorological week (SMW) and increased progressively, peaking at 12.06 whiteflies per 3 leaves (40th SMW) and 12.82 jassids per 3 leaves (39th SMW), before declining as the crop matured. Shoot and fruit borer incidence began in the 35th SMW and rose steadily, reaching a peak of 4.00 larvae per plant at crop termination (44th SMW). Whitefly and jassid were significantly and positively correlated with maximum temperature (r = +0.650* and +0.711**) and negatively with rainfall (r = -0.636* and -0.603*), whereas the borer was significantly and negatively correlated with minimum relative humidity (r = -0.864**), rainfall (r = -0.814**), and minimum temperature (r = -0.661*). The findings indicate that warm, relatively dry weeks favour sucking pest build-up, while borer incidence intensifies under cooler, drier conditions as fruiting advances, suggesting that pest monitoring in semi-arid Uttar Pradesh should be continuous from mid-August until crop termination.
Keywords: Okra, Abelmoschus esculentus, whitefly, Bemisia tabaci, jassid, Amrasca biguttula biguttula, shoot and fruit borer, Earias vittella, seasonal incidence, weather parameters