Division of Entomology, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi-110012, (India).
The whitebacked plant hopper (WBPH), Sogatella furcifera (Horvath) infestation lasted about four weeks mainly during vegetative stage of the crop. The maximum population of WBPH was recorded to be 5.71–8.0 hoppers/hill in different fields. The leaf folder, Cnaphalocrosis medinalis damage peaked towards late growth stages of the crop. The highest damage of this pest ranged from 6.3–15.3 folded leaves/hill in different fields. The maximum spider population was found to vary between 0.42–0.55 spider/hill. The spider numbers increased and decreased with increase and decrease in WBPH population. However, the spiders did not seem to have any relation with leaf folder infestation.
