Vol. 12, Issue 5 (2023)

Author(s):
Baldev Ram, Akhter Hussain, SL Sharma and BL Jat

Abstract:
Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench) commonly known as Bhindi or lady's finger, is a popular vegetable crop due to its high nutritional and medicinal values. Okra crop, right from germination to harvesting is attacked by about 72 species of insect pests. The main cause of low yield in okra is phytophagous insect pests, diseases and mites but the shoot and fruit borers (Earis insulana Boisduval and E. vittella Fab.) are one of the most serious pests of okra (Singh et al., 2014). The larvae bore into the terminal growing shoots, floral buds, flowers and fruits of okra, resulting in cessation, withering and drying of infested shoots, tender leaves and heavy shedding of floral buds and flowers. The borer has been reported to cause 24.6 to 26.0 per cent damage to okra shoots (Pareek et al., 1986) and 40 to 100 per cent loss to fruits (Shinde et al., 2007). A field experiment was carried out in kharif, 2020 at SKN College of Agriculture, Jobner to evaluate the seasonal incidence of okra shoot and fruit borer (Earias sp.) in relation to meteorological parameters. Okra variety, selectiaon-999 was sown in individual five plot of size 2.25 x 1.8 m². The data on shoot and fruit borer, Earias spp. were recorded on five randomly selected and tagged plants throughout the crop period by visual count of the plant in which the top portion was infested. The infestation of shoot and fruit borer on shoot was recorded in 33^rd SMW (Standard Meteorological Week), which reached its peak in 40^th SMW (11.20 per cent). The shoot infestation had non-significant relation with minimum temperature (r= 0.37), and rainfall (r= -0.28), whereas, significant positive correlation with maximum temperature (r= 0.86^*) and significant negative correlation with relative humidity (r= -0.58^*). Infestation of fruits had negative significant correlation with maximum temperature (r = -0.77 on number basis and -0.80 on weight basis), minimum temperature (r = - 0.86 on number basis and r = -0.87 on weight basis) and rainfall (r = -0.59 on number basis and r = -0.56 on weight basis) but non-significant with relative humidity.