Influence of Abiotic Factors on the Incidence of Serpentine Leafminer, Liriomyza trifolii
The seasonal occurrence of serpentine leafminer, Liriomyza trifolii Burgess was studied at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore over a period of three years (2004–07) and correlated with weather parameters. The serpentine leaf miner damage was on increase (> 15.0%) starting from January and continued upto August, reaching the peak during March (28.7%) irrespective of the host plants observed. The damage was less than 15.0 per cent during rest of the period viz., September to December. The leafminer incidence exerted a positive association with maximum and minimum temperature and sunshine hours, while the association was negative with relative humidity, rainfall and rainy days. About 85 per cent of variation in leafminer damage was influenced by abiotic factors.