Suvankar Mandal, Manasij Das and Sharmila Biswas
Abstract
Green gram (Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek) grown in West Bengalâs red and lateritic soils is frequently affected by major sucking pests: whitefly (Bemisia tabaci Gennadius), thrips (Caliothrips indicus Bhatti), and jassid (Empoasca kerri Walsh). This study investigated their seasonal incidence and population dynamics during the pre-kharif seasons of 2023 and 2024 and evaluated correlations with key weather parameters. Peak mean populations in 2023 were 4.52 (whitefly), 5.90 (thrips), and 5.17 (jassid) individuals per plant and in 2024 were 4.60, 6.20, and 5.40 respectively. Pearson correlations revealed significant positive relationships between minimum temperature and pest abundance (r ranged from 0.53 to 0.65, p < 0.05). Rainfall exhibited weak negative, non-significant correlations. Linear regression models showed minimum temperature explained 54% (thrips) to 68% (whitefly) of population variance. These findings provide crucial data for optimizing integrated pest management timing in this agro-ecological zone.