Occurrence of insect-pests infesting cowpea (Vigna unguiculata walpers) and their natural enemy complex in associations with weather variables

The field experiment was carried out during cropping seasons of zaid, 2009–10 and 2010–11. The experimental field was regularly monitored at weekly interval and revealed that eight insects namely jassid, pod bug, leaf miner, whitefly, thrips, legume pod borer, lady bird beetles (predator) and spiders (predator) appeared on cowpea. The incidence patterns of these insects were almost similar with slight fluctuations during both cropping seasons. The correlation and regression coefficients showed both positive and negative relationships of insect-pests infesting cowpea and their natural enemies with existing weather variables.