Incidence of Castor Insect Pests in Relation to the Meteorological Parameters in Southern Telangana Zone, India

Abstract

The prevalence and severity of insect pests will be influenced by changes in insect pest status in the existing agricultural environment and changes in climatic circumstances. To evaluate the population fluctuations of insect pests of castor during kharif, 2020 at Regional Agricultural Research Station, Palem and relationship between pests and weather parameters, investigations on pest population with regard to the weather parameters have been carried out. Castor is majorly grown in areas where mean monthly temperature across the growing season ranges from 22.7 to 34.3 ⁰C. It showed a strong correlation between leafhoppers and maximum temperature (r=0.48) and a substantial correlation between minimum temperature (r=-0.59) and the evening relative humidity (r=-0.56). and rainfall (r=-0.60). Thrips and rainfall have a negative significant association (r=-0.65). Semilooper and maximum temperature have a positive connection (r=0.17). Spodoptera litura has a positive significant link with maximum temperature (r=0.24), but a negative significant relationship with maximum temperature (r=-0.49) and minimum temperature (r=-0.55).