IMPACT OF SEASONAL WEATHER PATTERNS ON YELLOW STEM BORER SCRIPOPHAGA INCERTULAS (WALKER) AND RICE LEAF FOLDER CNAPHALOCROCIS MEDINALIS (GUENEE) INCIDENCE IN BASMATI RICE

The experiment was carried out in a randomized block design with three replications during the Kharif season, 2023 at the Crop Research Centre of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture & Technology, Meerut.The first incidence of the rice stem borer was recorded in the second week of August and reached its peak (7.14 per cent dead hearts) during the second week of September when the average temperature and relative humidity were 27.9C and 83.0 per cent, respectively.The first incidence of the rice leaf folder was recorded in the second week of August and reached a maximum level in the first week of October with mean temperature and relative humidity at 27C and 64.6 per cent, respectively.There was a positive correlation between dead hearts and evening RH, morning RH, minimum and maximum temperatures.The correlation of the rice leaf folder and yellow stem borer was positive with minimum temperature and maximum temperature and negative with RH and rainfall