1Mountain Crop Research Station Sagam, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences & Technology of Kashmir, Wadura-193201, Jammu and Kashmir, (India)
2Division of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences & Technology of Kashmir, Wadura-193201, Jammu and Kashmir, (India)
*email: mantooskuastk@gmail.com
A field experiment was conducted to study the effect of different sowing dates and influence of corresponding meteorological factors on flea beetle, Altica hemensis infesting finger millet (Eleusine coracana) under temperate conditions of Kashmir during 2023. The incidence and infestation of A. hemensis on E. coracana commenced from 3rd week of June (25th SMW) to 3rd week of July (29th SMW) with per cent infestation of 1.33, 1.46, 1.95, 3.47 and 12.32 per cent; gradually increased and reached its peak levels of 24.56, 24.80, 27.68, 26.04 and 25.37 per cent infestation during 3rd week of August (33rd SMW), and then decreased and reached to 0.99, 1.92, 3.02, 2.33 and 2.06 per cent during 2nd week of October (41st SMW) in 1st (17th May), 2nd (27th May), 3rd (6th June), 4th (16th June) and 5th (26th June) dates of sowings, respectively. The A. hemensis population exhibited positive and significant correlation with maximum and minimum temperature, while relative humidity morning was found to be negatively and non-significantly correlated in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th dates of sowings. The regression analysis revealed that the meteorological parameters had a significant effect on the population density of A. hemensis on finger millet and contributed 89-92 per cent variation in population of the insect pest infesting finger millet indicating higher dependence of the population on meteorological parameters under temperate field conditions.
Sowing windows, Meteorological factors, Altica hemensis, Eleusine coracana, Incidence, Infestation
