Population dynamics of major insect pest of lentil and correlation with weather factors

Abstract

The population dynamics of insect pests, including Aphis craccivora Koch, Helicoverpa armigera Hübner, and Etiella zinckenella (Treitschke), were studied in lentil crops under field conditions during the Rabi seasons of 2022-23 and 2023-24 at the Students' Instructional Farm of CSAUAT, Kanpur. The first appearance of A. craccivora was observed in the 2nd Standard Meteorological Week (SMW) in both growing seasons, with peak populations recorded in the 7th SMW (37.8 and 29.8 individuals, respectively, for 2022-23 and 2023-24). The first appearance of H. armigera and E. zinckenella occurred in the 3rd SMW for both seasons. Peak populations of H. armigera were noted during the 7th and 8th SMW, with larval populations of 2.0 in both years. Peak pod damage caused by E. zinckenella was recorded in the 7th SMW, with damage percentages of 16.89% and 15.12% in 2022-23 and 2023-24, respectively. H. armigera showed a highly significant positive correlation with maximum temperature, while pod damage by E. zinckenella had a non-significant positive correlation with both maximum and minimum temperatures. A. craccivora exhibited non-significant positive and negative correlations with various weather parameters.