Occurrence and biodiversity of cutworms (Agrotis spp.) in maize agro-ecosystem in sub-mountainous hill region of North-Western Himalayas, India

Abstract

Studies were carried out on the incidence and species diversity of cutworms (Agrotis spp.) on maize crop in Kullu and Mandi districts of Himachal Pradesh during Kharif 2018. It was revealed that in Mandi district, maximum damage to maize crop was recorded in Gohar village (28.33% plant kill and 2.67 larvae/m2) and in Kullu district, the maximum damage was recorded in Hawai village (22.33% plant kill and 2.33 larvae/m2). Among the various localities surveyed in both the districts, Gohar (28.33% mortality), Leda (26.33% mortality) and Kigas (25.33% mortality) villages in Mandi district and Hawai (22.33% mortality), Diyar (21.00% mortality) and Targali (18.33% mortality) villages in Kullu district were found to be the endemic localities for the incidence of cutworms on maize crop. Also, from the maize growing areas of Kullu and Mandi districts, the larvae were collected to find their species diversity. From Kullu, 134 larvae were collected and reared and it was found that out of them 71 moths of Agrotis ipsilon (Hufnagel) and 14 moths of Agrotis segetum (Denis and Schiffermuller) emerged whereas from the different localities of Mandi district 115 larvae were collected out of which 54 moths of A. ipsilon and 18 moths of A. segetum emerged. Of the two species of cutworms, A. ipsilon and A. segetum, the former was dominant in both the districts and constituted 83.53 and 75.00 per cent of the total larval population in Kullu and Mandi districts of Himachal Pradesh, respectively.