Role of Light Traps in Attracting, Killing and Biodiversity Studies of Insect Pests in Thal
Role of Light Traps in Attracting, Killing and Biodiversity Studies of Insect Pests in Thal
Muneer Abbas1*, Muhammad Ramzan1, Niaz Hussain1, Abdul Ghaffar1, Khalid Hussain1, Sohail Abbas2 and Ali Raza3
ABSTRACT
Light traps play important role in field sampling, monitoring, capturing, killing and biodiversity studies of nocturnal insect population. Funnel shaped light traps were used in mungbean and gram crops throughout the year. Effects of light traps were assessed by daily night collections in relation with abiotic factors based on marginal cost benefit ratio. Results indicated that total 32415 insect’s captures were made with >26 insect species including 4 species of bio control agents. Helicoverpa armigera, Spodoptera litura, Agrotis Sp., Bemesia tabaci and Microtermes Spp. were major pests of gram and mungbean attracted in light traps. May, June and July were hottest months of the year with highest population captures of 2892, 2789 and 2475, respectively. Temperature had significant impact of 80.7 % on per unit population attraction (r=0.807). However, humidity had no significant impact (2.9 %) on per unit population attraction in light traps (r=0.029). Increasing adult catches trends of H. armigera and S. litura had significantly reduced larval populations in the field. Temperature had 12.3, 11.3, 10.5, 7.1 and 6.3 % impact on per unit population change of Agrotis Sp., Microtermes Spp., H. armigera, S. litura and B. tabaci respectively. While humidity had 25.6, 6.3, 1.6, 0.9 and 0.7 % impact on population change of Microtermes Spp., S. litura, H. armigera, Agrotis Sp. and B. tabaci respectively. MCBR indicated light traps as least cost tool and gave maximum yield having MCBR ratio 1:8.93 in comparison with farmer field (1:2.85).
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