Influence of abiotic factors on the population fluctuation of sesame Hawk moth, Acherontia styx West wood (Sphingidae: Lepidoptera)

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during kharif 2016, at College of Agriculture, V. C. Farm, Mandya to know the influences of abiotic factors were tested on the population fluctuation of sesame Hawk moth, Acherontia styx. During summer 2016, the population of hawk moth exerted a negative association with morning relative humidity (r = - 0.11) and sunshine hours (r = -0.65) and positive association with, mean maximum temperature (r = 0.24), minimum temperature (r = 0.01) and afternoon relative humidity (r = 0.54). However the influence of mean afternoon relative humidity and sunshine hours was found to be significant. The combined and overall impact of all the significant abiotic factors on hawk moth populations were to the extent of 93.00 (R2 = 0.93), per cent. During kharif 2016, the sunshine hours showed a significant negative correlation with population of A. styx. The combined and overall impact of all the significant abiotic factors on A. styx, populations were to the extent of 30.00 (R2 = 0.30), per cent.