Seasonal incidence of blister beetles (Mylabris spp.) on okra in Himachal Pradesh

Field experiments were conducted to study the seasonal incidence of blister beetle, Mylabris spp. on okra at two locations in mid hills of Himachal Pradesh. The results showed that at Palampur, Mylabris spp were active on okra crop from last week of July to last week of September and at Kachhiari were active from first week of July to first week of September during the two seasons. Peak blister beetle population and flower damage were observed in third week of August to first week of September at Palampur and second to third week of August at Kachhiari when the mean meteorological conditions of 27.7–29.1°C (max temp), 20.2–25.8°C (min temp), 75–79% (RH), 7.1–7.9 hr (BSS) and 37.8–80.5 mm total rainfall were prevalent at the two locations. Thereafter, the beetle population and its damage began to decline as the crop approached last phase of growth. The beetle population and flower damage were significantly and positively correlated with maximum temperature and bright sunshine hours while significantly and negatively correlated with minimum temperature and relative humidity.