INFLUENCE OF WEATHER ON THE MOTH CATCHES OF HELICOVERPA ARMIGERA AT VARIOUS COTTON-BASED AGRO-ECOLOGICAL SITES

Five different cotton-based agro-ecological sites viz., river, vegetables, orchards, clean cultivation and forest in district Faisalabad Punjab, Pakistan were monitored for moth catches of H. armigera through pheromone traps. The data were recorded at 15 to 20 days interval from September 08, 2004 to December 01, 2006.Sites did not show significant difference regarding moth catches during the study period. However, vegetable site showed maximum population of moths per trap (0.54) followed by orchards (0.29), forest (0.19), river (0.15) and clean cultivation (0.12). During 2004, rainfall in orchard and clean cultivation sites and RH in clean cultivation site showed positive and significant correlation with moth catches. During 2005, temperatures played significant and positive role in population fluctuation of the pest almost at all the selected sites except minimum temperature at vegetable site and average temperature at forest site. Rainfall also showed significant and positive correlation with trapped moths in vegetable, orchard and clean cultivation sites. During 2006, relative humidity showed significant and negative correlation with trapped population in all the sites except river. Rainfall showed negative and significant correlation with the pest in forest site. Relative humidity was the most important factor which contributed 8.93% role to cause variation in trapped population followed by maximum temperature (5.70%), rainfall (1.63%), average temperature (0.74%) and minimum temperature (0.56%).