Seasonal Incidence and Effect of Abiotic Factors on Mango Leaf Hopper (Amritodus atkinsoni L.) Population on Different Cultivars of Mango in Eastern Uttar Pradesh, India

Abstract

The mango hopper, scientifically known as Amritodus atkinsoni L., is a very destructive insect that poses a significant threat to mango trees in Eastern Uttar Pradesh. Experiments were done to study the seasonal abundance and the impact of abiotic variables on the occurrence of A. atkinsoni on various mango cultivars, including Dasheri, Sindhu, Amarpali, and Langra, at Vindhyavasini Park (Mango orchard) in DDU, Gorakhpur University Gorakhpur. The adult mango hoppers began to appear when the panicles emerged between the 40th and 20th weeks of the Southwest monsoon in 2022-2023. The highest population of mango hoppers was observed on the Dasheri variety during the 14th week of the season, while the lowest population was observed during the 42nd week. The Amrapali variety had a somewhat lower incidence of mango hoppers, with the highest population observed during the 4th, 7th, and 8th weeks, and the lowest population observed during the 40th week. Abiotic conditions, including maximum temperature (X1), minimum temperature (X2), morning relative humidity (X3), evening relative humidity (X4), and rainfall (X5), significantly influenced the hopper population's impact. The population of hoppers had a negative and significant relationship with morning relative humidity (r = -0.65** to 0.34*) and evening relative humidity (r = -0.40* to -0.21). On the other hand, there was a significant positive correlation between the hopper population and mean maximum temperature (r = 0.28 to 0.09) and minimum temperature (r = 0.17 to – 0.02). Rainfall varied throughout the study period and did not have a significant impact, except for the Dasheri variety.