SEASONAL ABUNDANCE OF WHITEFLY Bemisia tabaci (GENNADIUS) ON BT COTTON IN RELATION TO METEOROLOGICAL PARAMETERS UNDER HARYANA CONDITION

SWATI MEHRA¹*, KRISHNA ROLANIA^2
1Department of Entomology, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, 125 004, Haryana, India
²Department of Entomology, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, 125 004, Haryana, India
* Corresponding Author : swatimehra711991@gmail.com

Received : 11-01-2017     Accepted : 15-01-2017     Published : 30-01-2017
Volume : 9     Issue : 5       Pages : 3759 - 3762
Int J Agr Sci 9.5 (2017):3759-3762

Keywords : Bemisia tabaci, Bt cotton, Population Dynamics, Weather Factors
Academic Editor : Satbeer Singh
Conflict of Interest : None declared
Acknowledgements/Funding : Authors are grateful to Dr. Ram Singh, Professor and Head, Department of Entomology, COA, CCSHAU, Hisar for providing necessary facilities to carry out the research work and his critical review of an earlier version of the manuscript. We also feel grateful to the other faculty members of Department of Entomology and Genetics & Plant Breeding for their needful help and comments
Author Contribution : Both the authors equally contributed in the manuscript

The present studies on population dynamics of whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) on cotton hybrid BIO 6588 (BG II) were carried out during Kharif 2014 at Cotton Research Area, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar. Two peaks of whitefly adults were recorded from 34th and 38th Standard Meteorological Week (i.e. 3rd week of August and 3rd week of September, 2014) with number as high as 37.94 and 45.42 adults per leaf whereas nymphal population was as high as 45.26 and 62.93 nymphs per leaf during 33th and 39th SMW (i.e. 2nd week of August and last week of September). Whitefly adult population showed significant positive correlation with morning relative humidity (r=0.455) and sunshine hours (r=0.650). Sunshine hours also showed significant positive correlation (r=0.543) with the nymphal population.