Impact of environmental factors on seasonal abundance of Idioscopus clypealis in Western Uttar Pradesh.
Akash Varshneya, Rana K. S.
Author Affiliation: Environmental Research Laboratory, Agra College, Agra - 282 002 (U.P.), India.
Bionotes 8 : 111-112
Abstract : Hoppers (Idioscopus clypealis) were collected from April 2004 to March 2005 from mango orchards in Aligarh and Bulandshahar districts, Uttar Pradesh, India, using bag trap and sweep methods. Meteorological data (temperature, relative humidity and rainfall) were collected at the selected sites. No hopper was seen on mangoes at both sites in the month of January, when the mean maximum and minimum temperatures were very low, the relative humidity was comparatively very high, and rainfall was also very low. Hoppers started to appear in the month of February, when the mean maximum and minimum temperatures started to increase and relative humidity showed a slight decline. Peak hopper population at both sites was recorded in the month of May, when the mean maximum and minimum temperatures were extremely high and relative humidity was very low. Hopper populations started to decline in the month of June, when the mean maximum and minimum temperatures decreased and relative humidity increased. Rainfall generally fluctuated during the study period. It is concluded that the population of I. clypealis is strongly affected by temperature and relative humidity in western Uttar Pradesh.