Influence of weather factors on sorghum earhead bug Calocoris angustatus Lethierry incidence

Abstract

Weather parameters during the same week and one, two, three or four weeks before were correlated with the population of earhead bug, Calocoris angustatus on different earhead stages of two hybrids, CSH 5 and K‐Tall, in main and ratoon crops. The weather factors in the different weeks contributing to the insect population varied with the stage of earhead, the hybrid and the nature of the crop (main or ratoon). In the main crop, the insect population at pre‐flowering, milky, dough and maturity stage was influenced by weather parameters one week before, the same, two and three weeks before respectively. Morning relative humidity was important in both hybrids at all stages, with a few exceptions. In the ratoon crop, the pre‐flowering and maturity stage populations were influenced by the weather parameters of the same week. The populations at milky and maturity stage were influenced by parameters four weeks and one week before the observations respectively. The factors influencing the population on CSH 5 and K‐Tall varied. In most cases morning relative humidity had a positive influence.