ISSN: 0976-0172 Mudasir A. Dar J Biosci Tech,Vol 6(1),2015,643-646 Journal of Bioscience And Technology www.jbstonline.com Monitoring of Thysanoplusia orichalcea (Fabricius) With light-traps from Budgam Kashmir 1 2 Mudasir A. Dar and Jagbir Singh Kriti 1Department of Zoology and Environmental Sciences, Punjabi University Patiala India E-mail: [email protected] The present work incorporates thorough investigations on monitoring and KEYWORDS: seasonal abundance of Thysanoplusia orichalcea (Fabricius) belonging to Monitoring, subfamily Plusiinae of family Noctuidae during the year 2013. Among the Thysanoplusia orichalcea lepidopterans this species was found to be most rampant both in terms of (Fabricius), incidence and host spectrum. Damaging a broad selection of host plants viz., Onion, Cabbage, Cow-pea, Potato, Pea, Indigo, Carum copticum, Cauliflower, Light traps, Kashmir. Inula racemosa, Salvia sclarea, Mentha piperita and Atropa acuminate and revealed the findings that the Noctuid pest was very rampant from May onwards with its peak activity recorded during the months of July and August. The active vegetation, flowering stages and late stages of major crops concur with the pest activity climax. Diverse weather factors viz., mean maximum temperature, mean minimum temperature and rainfall materialize to be the more predominant factors. 1. INTRODUCTION: Incidence of attack varied from 5-65 per cent among various plant species. Pupation took The Noctuid subfamily Plusiinae is distributed place in light brown silken webs secured throughout the tropical, temperate, and arctic further by leaf folds. Due to changing pattern regions of the world. Certain plusiines are of major cropping system result in changes of frequently mentioned in the literature because pest complex. It is essential to monitor the their larval forms (loopers) are leaf feeders, pest under the prevailing agro climatic which damage economically important crops, conditions of a particular area so that garden vegetables, greenhouse plants, and suitable control measures at appropriate time ornamental herbs. The boreal species cause can be devised to combat the pest. Therefore some injury to conifers. The remainders of the the present studies on monitoring of species are leaf feeders on a great array of Thysanoplusia orichalcea (Fabricius) and the plants. Larvae of Thysanoplusia orichalcea impact of weather factors were carried out (Fabricius) are eruciform, 20-25mm long, at Gurtang area in Budgam District. It was, slender, attenuated anteriorly, pale-green in therefore, proposed that under present work, a colour, head dark-green, body covered with preliminary survey, monitoring of the selected small whitish tubercles each with a central Noctuid pest of some crops and economically black dot from which issues a short white hair; important plants in Kashmir Himalaya be a row of black tubercles bordered below by a carried out. white spiracular stripe along each side, with a characteristic looping gait, defoliating the Earlier, in Jammu and Kashmir region, so far plants from ending April to July. Larvae fed no detailed work on monitoring of the from the underside of leaves. Early instars selected insect pest through insect light- gnaw at the epidermal tissue producing a fine trapping has been done. However, in this netted appearance; later instars feed direction some studies have been carried out voraciously on lamina cutting through holes in on insect damaging crops and economically it (Fig). Extent of damage to leaves varied important plants in Kashmir Himalayan from 10-35 per cent of the leaf area. region (Nain and Singh, 1994; Raina and Baghat, 2005; Baghat and Raina, 2006). 643 ISSN: 0976-0172 Mudasir A. Dar J Biosci Tech,Vol 6(1),2015,643-646 Journal of Bioscience And Technology www.jbstonline.com Table 1: Meteorological data during the study period of Thysanoplusia orichalcea (Fabricius) Max. Temp. Min. Temp. Precipitation Individuals % Month Average (OC) (0C) (mm) collected catch Maya 24.5 10.8 17.7 8 21 3.3439 June 29.6 14.9 22.3 5 35 5.5732 July 30.1 18.1 24.1 7 241 38.3758 Augu ust 29.6 17.5 23.5 6 196 31.2101 September 27.4 12.1 19.8 3 84 13.3758 October 22.4 5.8 14.1 2 51 8.1210 628 644 ISSN: 0976-0172 Mudasir A. Dar J Biosci Tech,Vol 6(1),2015,643-646 Journal of Bioscience And Technology www.jbstonline.com 2. MATERIALS AND METHODS: temperature and adverse climatic conditions. The meteorological data for the period of Moths were collected with the help of six study was taken from the Department of different types of light traps, viz. Bucket trap, Meteorology, Srinagar Kashmir. Mercury trap, Modified Mercury trap, Ordinary light trap, Tube light trap and 3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Mosquito killer trap. (Fig:2) Through field observations on light trapping The moths coming to rest on the cloth were during 2013, has revealed that the adults of captured with the help of killing jars Thysanoplusia orichalcea (Fabricius) started containing ethyl acetate and tetrachloroethane. coming to the light-trap during the month of After killing the specimens were pinned and May when the average temperature was stretched properly and preserved in insect recorded 17.7 0C with maximum temperature cabinets. The specimens were identified with ranged from 24.5°C and mean minimum the help of available literature and other temperature ranged from 10.8°C. The period electronic and non-electronic sources. The of peak activity of the pest was recorded in male genitalia of the studied species i.e. the months of July comprising a total catch of Thysanoplusia orichalcea (Fabricius) were 241 individuals with 38.3758 % of the overall also dissected out for confirmation of species catch. The present study has also revealed that identification. Seasonal abundance of Noctuid the maximum population of Thysanoplusia moth was continuously monitored from March orichalcea (Fabricius) was within the range of onwards till the end of October, 2013 with the one month, i.e. in the month of July and it has help of light traps installed near the sites been further observed that the occurrence of dominated by the most representative Thysanoplusia orichalcea (Fabricius) remains vegetation types of the region. The light traps active from May to October with peak were operated on at 7:30 pm till 4:30 am emergence during July followed by August during the study period. During the procedure with 31.21019 of the overall catch and was no of light-trap, the trapped insects were killed more detected from ending October onwards by placing block of plaster of Paris, saturated Table (1). It is evident that mean maximum with killing agents, placed on the bottom of temperature and mean minimum temperature the trap. were the most favorable weather parameters during the month of July when the population Tetrachloroethylene, trichloroethylene and of the pest was recorded maximum. When the tetrachloroethane have been used as killing maximum temperature reached 22.4°C and agents. The samples were taken daily from the minimum temperature reached 5.8°C during trap with the help of fine camel hair brush the month of October the population declined and entomological forceps, pinned and during the period under studies. The present stretched properly. The counts were made findings indicated that the average daily, weekly, monthly and seasonally. temperature 24.1, maximum temperature Cumulative monthly data was accumulated 30.1°C and min temp. 18.1°C and average from the daily observations of the selected rainfall 7.0 mm proved conducive for the target insect species through light trap in multiplication of the pest in particular area. different seasons viz. Spring, summer and There existed a definite relationship between autumn, and it was observed that there were catches in the traps and the meteorological no pest activity during Spring months i.e. phenomena like temperature (maximum and February, March and April due to low minimum) and rainfall. No insect activity was 645 ISSN: 0976-0172 Mudasir A. Dar J Biosci Tech,Vol 6(1),2015,643-646 Journal of Bioscience And Technology www.jbstonline.com detected during spring season at Budgam [6]. Rai, A. K. & Khan M. A. 2002. Light trap catch district of Jammu and Kashmir. However the of the insect pest Nephotettix virescens (Distant) st and its relation with climatic factors. Ann. PI. actual insect activity started since 1 week of Protec.Sci.10: 17 -22. May, observed at study site, having average [7]. Raina, R.H. & Bhagat, R.C: 2005. Light trapping 0 temperature as 17.7 C with rainfall 8mm. The study of insects damaging agricultural and forestry rise in temperature has been responsible for plantation in Srinagar Kashmir. Bull of Agr. Sci. abundant catches, showing maximum catch of (3)49-53. 241(July), 196 (August) and lowest 21 during the month of May with maximum temperature of 24.1, 23.5 and 17.7 respectively. Correlations of light-trap catches of other insect pests with weather parameters were also recorded by several workers (Deshraj, et al., 1993; Bhatanagar & Saxena, 1995; Loganthan et al., 2001and Rai & Khan, 2002). ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The authors are thankful to ICAR New Delhi for providing financial assistance under Network project on Insect Biosystematics; thanks are due to Prof. & Head Division of Entomology, SKUAST-K Shalimar, and Srinagar for providing necessary facilities and encouragements. Thanks are also due to Director Meteorology Kashmir for providing meteorological data. 4. REFERENCES [1]. Bhagat, R.C and Raina, R.H. 2006. Report on the insects collected through light traps agricultural and horticultural plants from (Pahalgam) Jammu & Kashmir. Jour. of Ins. Sci.19 (1):37-42. [2]. Bhatanagar, Anju & R. Saxena 1995. Environmental correlations of population buildup of rice insect pest through light trap catches Oryza, 36:241-245. [3]. Deshraj, Kashjyap, N.P.