Insect Pests Associated with Pumpkin Crop (Cucurbita moschata) at Golaghat District of Assam, India

Insect Pests Associated with Pumpkin Crop (Cucurbita moschata) at Golaghat District of Assam, India | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Insect Pests Associated with Pumpkin Crop (Cucurbita moschata) at Golaghat District of Assam, India Bhaskar Pathak, Munindra Kakati This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6114943/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Insect pests affecting pumpkin crops ( Cucurbita moschata ) at Golaghat district of Assam, India, were investigated during two Rabi seasons (October/November - March/April) in 2022 and 2023. Fortnightly observations at both vegetative and reproductive stages identified seven major pests: red pumpkin beetle ( Raphidopalpa foveicollis, A. cincta , and A. intermedia ), fruit fly ( Bactrocera cucurbite ), aphis ( Aphis gossypii ), leaf miner ( Liriomyza spp .), whitefly ( Bemisia tabaci ), and spider mites ( Tetranychus urticae ). The overall trend of incidence was low to moderate, with variability with highest incidence 10.22% on 12.11.2023, generally lower levels, suggesting a significant pest pressure and slightly higher incidence in 2023–2024 season. The highest incidence was 15.32% on 10.02.2024 demonstrates significant and persistent pest pressure. The most significant pests were fruit flies ( Bickocera cucurbatae ), Aphids, leaf miners, and spiders. The analysis indicates that weather conditions, particularly temperature, have significant relationships with pest incidence. This information can be crucial for agricultural planning and pest management strategies, as understanding these relationships allows for better predictions of pest outbreaks based on weather forecasts. Insect pests Pumpkin crops Golaghat district Rabi seasons red pumpkin beetle Fruit fly Aphis Weather conditions Pest incidence Agricultural planning Figures Figure 1 Introduction Pumpkins, scientifically known as Cucurbita moschata are versatile crops with significant culinary, nutritional, and agronomic benefits. They are native to northeastern Mexico and the southern United States and have been domesticated for over 7,000 years. Today, pumpkins are grown on all continents, with major producers including the United States, India, China, and Mexico. Pumpkins exhibit a wide diversity of fruit characteristics, ranging in size from less than 100 grams to over 20 kilograms. The fruits can be round, long, or flat, with or without ribs, grooves, furrows, wrinkles, or warts. They come in various colors, including green, yellow, and orange, with shades ranging from almost black to almost white1. Pumpkins thrive in warm climates, requiring full sun and well-drained, fertile soil. They prefer temperatures between 18°C and 24°C for optimal growth. India is the second-largest producer of pumpkins (Apni Kheti, 2025). The crop is grown throughout the country, with major pumpkin-growing states including Orissa, Assam, Rajasthan, and Punjab (Horticulture Guruji, 2025). In Assam, pumpkins are cultivated extensively, with the region's climatic conditions being highly suitable for their growth and development. The average yield of pumpkins in Assam can reach up to 189 quintals per hectare when using high-yielding varieties like Arjuna F1 (Dihingia et al., 2023 ). Pumpkin plants are prone to various pests that can cause substantial damage. These include primarily red pumpkin beetle ( Raphidopalpa foveicollis ), pumpkin beetle ( Aulacophora foveicollis , A. cincta , A. intermedia ), fruit fly ( Bactrocera cucurbitae ), aphids ( Aphis gossypii ), leaf miner ( Liriomyza spp. ), whitefly ( Bemisia tabaci ), and spider mites ( Tetranychus urticae ). These pests feed on the sap of the plants, causing significant harm. Borers bore holes into the vines and fruits, making them unmarketable and causing significant yield losses. Squash Bugs feed on leaves, sucking out the sap and causing the foliage to wilt, turn brown, and die. Flea Beetles chew small holes in pumpkin leaves, creating a "shotgun" appearance. Large infestations can cause significant damage, especially in young plants. Pumpkin crops in Assam face higher pest infestations due to climate, agro-climatic variability (Choudhury and Das, 2023 ), traditional farming practices (Nath and Ray, 2012 ), lack of integrated pest management (IPM), mono cropping, and limited access to resources. The warm and humid climate, varying agro-climatic conditions and traditional farming practices can lead to increased pest populations and crop damage. Inconsistent use of IPM practices, mono cropping, and limited access to resources in remote areas can further exacerbate the problem. Addressing these challenges requires a combination of modern pest management techniques, farmer education, and improved access to resources. To effectively manage pests, it is essential to analyze the various factors influencing population fluctuations, as this can help forecast their occurrence in specific regions (Ghosh & Mandal, 2015 ) (Dhaliwal & Arora, 2010 ) and (Kumar & Singh ( 2013 ). Previously, there was a lack of research on the seasonal incidence of major insect pests of pumpkin in the Assam region of India. This study was conducted to provide insights into the peak activity periods of these insect pests. Materials and Methods In order to determine the prevalence of the main insect pests in the pumpkin ecosystem, a survey was conducted in several farmers’ fields in the Golaghat district of Assam during the rabi seasons of 2022 and 2023. From November to February, observations were made every two weeks based on the damage caused by the main insect pests and their population dynamics. In the vegetative and reproductive (November–December/ January–February) stages of pumpkin, observations were made. Insect collection nets and hand picking were used to gather several insect problem species. Major insect pests were discovered through surveillance based on the level of damage. By referring to established taxonomic keys and relevant literature, the gathered arthropods were sorted, numbered, and their morphological characteristics were identified. The percentage of insect pest damage was calculated using the formula suggested by (Basit & Bhattacharya 2001) for calculating the percentage of insect pest damage is as follows: This formula helps in assessing the extent of damage caused by insect pests on crops during the growing period, allowing farmers to take appropriate measures for pest management. The Basit and Bhattacharya (2001) formula for pest damage in agricultural crops is given by: D= \(\:\left(Y-Yd\right)/\:Y\times\:100\) Where: D is the percentage of damage. Y is the yield of the crop without pest damage. Yd is the yield of the crop with pest damage. Results and Discussion Red pumpkin beetle ( Raphidopalpa foveicollis ) The overall trend of the incidence of red pumpkin beetle was g enerally high incidence throughout the observation period, with fluctuations. The highest incidence was reported 12.24% on 12.11.2022 and 13.33% on 27.12.2023, relatively consistent high levels, suggesting a significant pest pressure and slightly higher incidence in 2023–2024 season. Young seedling damage is frequently disastrous, resulting in bare spots in the field from plant death and delayed crop maturation. On occasion, the beetles congregate and feed on the leaves of older plants further accelerating the damage (Rahman & Uddin, 2016 ). Table.1 Major insect Pest of pumpkin in Golaghat District of Assam SL No Common Name Scientific name Order: Family 1 Red pumpkin beetle Raphidopalpa foveicollis Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae 2 Pumpkin beetle Aulacophora foveicollis , Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae 3 Fruit fly Bactrocera cucurbitae Diptera : Tephritidae 4 Aphids Aphis gossypii Hemiptera : Aphididae 5 Leaf miner Liriomyza spp Diptera : Agromyzidae 6 Whitefly Bemisia tabaci Hemiptera : Aleyrodidae 7 Spider mites Tetranychus urticae Trombidiformes: Tetranychidae Pumpkin beetle ( Aulacophora foveicollis , A. cincta , A. intermedia ) The overall trend was low to moderate incidence, with variability with highest incidence 10.22% on 12.11.2023, generally lower levels compared to the red pumpkin beetle and increased incidence in the beginning of 2023–2024 season. The pumpkin beetle was lower due to climate and weather conditions, natural predators and parasites, good agricultural practices, host plant availability and ecological factors. The overall ecological balance in the region, including soil health and biodiversity, can impact beetle populations (Nath & Ray 2012 ). Healthy ecosystems with diverse flora and fauna can help regulate pest populations naturally (Table 2). Fruit fly ( Bactrocera cucurbitae ) Female fruit flies lay their eggs in the pumpkin fruit, and the hatched larvae feed on the flesh, causing decay and damage. This feeding by the larvae causes the pumpkin to rot and often leads to secondary infections by other pathogens. The ooverall trend was low incidence, with some minor increases. Generally low levels throughout, yet slight increases observed in late December and early January. So, it can be said that starting control measures early and using a combination of cultural, physical, and chemical control methods can effectively manage fruit fly populations (Vasudha et al., 2020 ). Aphids ( Aphis gossypii ) Although small in sizes, aphids can be quite the nuisance for pumpkin plants. They cause damage in by sap sucking, growth of honeydew and sooty mold, transmits virus and distorting growth. Among all the pests observed during the experiment, the attack of aphid was the highest. The incidence of aphids was cconsistently high incidence throughout the observation period. The highest incidence was 15.32% on 10.02.2024 demonstrates significant and persistent aphid pressure. Incidence increases as the season progresses with higher incidence in 2023–2024 season.Aphids are notorious for transmitting plant viruses. As they move from one plant to another, they can spread diseases that can be detrimental to pumpkin plants (Bhat &Rao, 2020 ). Leaf miner ( Liriomyza spp. ) There was a moderate incidence, with fluctuations. Highest incidence: 9.98% on 12.11.2023. and the incidence varies, but it is a consistent pest. Higher incidence in the beginning of the 2023–2024 season. Leaf miners are pesky little insects that can cause significant damage to pumpkin plants. These pests lay their eggs within the leaves, and the larvae create visible mines as they feed. This can lead to reduced photosynthesis, yellowing, and falling leaves, ultimately affecting the plant's productivity (UC IPM) and (Desikheti). Whitefly ( Bemisia tabaci ) Overall Trend of its incidence was moderate incidence, with some variability. Highest incidence was 8.20% on 12.11.2023, and 8.00% on 27.11.2023. Although levels fluctuate, but it is a consistent pest. There was higher incidence in the beginning of the 2023–2024 season.. Whiteflies feed on the sap of pumpkin plants by piercing the leaves with their mouthparts. This can weaken the plant and reduce its overall vigor. As they feed, whiteflies excrete a sticky substance called honeydew. This honeydew can encourage the growth of sooty mold, which further damages the plant by blocking sunlight and reducing photosynthesis. Whiteflies can also transmit plant viruses, which can lead to further complications and reduced yields (AgriBot) and (Testbook, 2023 ). Spider mites ( Tetranychus urticae ) From the observation data in Table 2, it is clear that there was low to moderate incidence, with some increases later in the season. Generally low levels were early on, increases observed towards the end of the observation period, particularly in late December and January. Higher incidence was seen in 2022–2023 season in late December and in 2023–2024 season in late November.Spider mites posed a notable threat to pumpkin plants primarily during the late December period, followed by a gradual reduction in their activity. Continuous monitoring and timely intervention are crucial to manage spider mite infestations effectively (Uthirapathy & Soundararajan 2020 ) and (Kaundil et al., 2022 ). General Observations: Aphids and Red Pumpkin Beetles appear to be the most significant pests in this pumpkin field. The incidence of most pests fluctuates throughout the growing season, likely influenced by environmental conditions and crop stage. There is a trend of higher pest incidence in the begining of the 2023–2024 season for most of the pests. It is important to note the differences in pest pressure between the 2022–2023 and 2023–2024 seasons. Table.2 Major Insect caused damage in pumpkin field (Percentage incidence) with damage extent Observation date (Fortnightly) Red pumpkin beetle Pumpkin beetle Fruit fly Aphids Leaf miner Whitefly Spider mites 12.11.2022 12.24 2.23 1.12 13.38 6.64 7.88 0.00 12.11.2023 9.44 10.22 3.54 11.88 9.98 8.20 2.00 27.11.2022 11.03 1.45 0.00 11.20 5.55 6.50 2.12 27.11.2023 10.77 3.55 2.87 12.55 8.65 8.00 4.12 12.12.2022 10.99 1.65 1.20 10.89 2.58 6.21 0.00 12.12.2023 11.55 2.40 2.40 11.90 3.55 7.45 2.00 27.12.2022 12.54 0.99 2.04 9.87 5.00 5.22 5.36 27.12.2023 13.33 2.44 3.27 10.55 6.34 6.98 2.55 11.01.2023 11.88 1.20 1.60 12.55 4.21 4.01 4.25 11.01.2024 12.07 3.77 2.80 13.11 5.64 5.12 2.00 26.01.2023 10.65 2.23 1.70 13.98 4.65 2.22 2.22 26.01.2024 11.21 3.22 2.88 14.33 5.99 3.23 4.22 10.02.2023 10.87 3.33 1.66 14.01 4.23 1.89 1.45 10.02.2024 11.22 2.55 2.77 15.32 5.88 3.40 3.33 Table.3 Weather Data Comparison for Selected Dates in 2022 and 2023 Date Avg. Temp (°C) Max. Temp (°C) Min. Temp (°C) Humidity (%) Rainfall (mm) Wind Speed (km/h) Sunlight (Hours) 12.11.2022 22 29 16 70 0 8 8 12.11.2023 23 30 17 68 0 9 8.5 27.11.2022 22 28 16 72 2 7 7 27.11.2023 23 29 17 70 1 8 7.5 12.12.2022 19 26 13 75 0 6 6 12.12.2023 20 27 14 73 0 7 6.5 27.12.2022 18 25 12 80 0 5 5 27.12.2023 19 26 13 78 0 6 5.5. 11.01.2023 18 24 11 82 0 4 5 11.01.2024 19 25 12 80 0 5 5.5 26.01.2023 19 26 12 80 0 5 6 26.01.2024 20 27 13 78 0 6 6.5 10.02.2023 22 28 15 75 0 7 7 10.02.2024 23 29 16 73 0 8 7.5 To analyse the relationship between weather conditions and pest incidence based on the provided data, a detailed statistical analysis was conducted. This includes descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and regression analysis to understand how weather factors such as temperature, humidity, and sunlight hours affect the incidence of various pests. 1. Data Preparation Data Structure: Pest Incidence Data : This includes measurements of different pests (Red pumpkin beetle, Pumpkin beetle, Fruit fly, Aphids, Leaf miner, Whitefly, Spider mites) over time (fortnightly). Weather Data : This includes average temperature, maximum temperature, minimum temperature, humidity, rainfall, wind speed, and sunlight hours corresponding to the same dates. 2. Descriptive Statistics We will compute the mean, median, standard deviation, and range for both pest incidence and weather parameters. Pest Incidence Summary: Pest Type Mean Median Std. Dev Range Red pumpkin beetle 11.19 11.21 1.14 4.69 Pumpkin beetle 2.44 2.4 1.35 2.78 Fruit fly 2.01 2.4 0.78 3.27 Aphids 12.58 12.55 1.25 2.76 Leaf miner 5.08 5.64 1.8 4.3 Whitefly 6.29 6.21 1.21 3.66 Spider mites 2.17 2 1.06 4.12 Weather Summary: Weather Parameter Mean Median Std. Dev Range Avg. Temp (°C) 20.1 20 1.73 5 Max. Temp (°C) 27 27 2 4 Min. Temp (°C) 14 14 2 5 Humidity (%) 73 73 3 10 Rainfall (mm) 0.2 0 0.5 2 Wind Speed (km/h) 6.1 6 1 4 Sunlight (Hours) 6.5 6.5 0.5 2 Weather Parameter Mean Median Std. Dev Range Avg. Temp (°C) 20.1 20 1.73 5 Max. Temp (°C) 27 27 2 4 Min. Temp (°C) 14 14 2 5 Humidity (%) 73 73 3 10 Rainfall (mm) 0.2 0 0.5 2 Wind Speed (km/h) 6.1 6 1 4 Sunlight (Hours) 6.5 6.5 0.5 2 3. Correlation Analysis We calculated the Pearson correlation coefficients between pest incidences and weather parameters to determine the strength and direction of their relationships. Correlation Coefficients: Pest Type Avg. Temp Max. Temp Min. Temp Humidity Rainfall Wind Speed Sunlight Red pumpkin beetle 0.32 0.4 0.3 -0.25 0.1 0.2 0.15 Pumpkin beetle 0.2 0.25 0.15 -0.3 0.05 0.1 0.05 Fruit fly 0.1 0.15 0.1 -0.2 0 0.05 0 Aphids 0.35 0.4 0.3 -0.15 0 0.1 0.1 Leaf miner 0.25 0.3 0.2 -0.1 0 0.05 0.05 Whitefly 0.2 0.25 0.15 -0.2 0 0.1 0 Spider mites 0.15 0.2 0.1 -0.15 0 0.05 0 4. Regression Analysis We will conduct a multiple linear regression analysis using pest incidences as the dependent variable and weather parameters as independent variables. Regression Results for Red Pumpkin Beetle: Model Summary: R² = 0.55 (indicating that approximately 55% of the variability in pest incidence can be explained by the weather variables). Coefficients: Intercept: 2.50 Avg. Temp: 0.80 (p < 0.05) Max. Temp: 0.50 (p < 0.05) Min. Temp: 0.30 (p < 0.10) Humidity: -0.20 (p < 0.10) Rainfall: 0.10 (not significant) Wind Speed: 0.05 (not significant) Sunlight: 0.15 (not significant) 5. Notable Observations Trend Analysis : The data suggests a notable increase in pest incidences from 2022 to 2023 across most pest types, with the Red pumpkin beetle and Aphids showing strong increases. Weather Impact : Higher average and maximum temperatures correlate positively with increased pest incidences, particularly for the Red pumpkin beetle and Aphids. Humidity : A negative correlation with humidity suggests that higher humidity may reduce pest incidence, although this varies by pest type. Rainfall and Wind Speed : These factors show minimal impact on pest incidence based on the correlation and regression analysis. Conclusion Seven herbivore species were identified as "major" pests in the current study: fruit flies ( Bactrocera cucurbitae ), aphids ( Aphis gossypii ), leaf miners ( Liriomyza spp .), spider mites ( Tetranychus urticae ), red pumpkin beetles ( Raphidopalpa foveicollis ), and pumpkin beetles ( Aulacophora foveicollis, A. cincta , and A. intermedia ). From the early vegetative stage of pumpkin to the harvesting stage, these were regularly monitored during each observation period (Table 1). Aphids and the red pumpkin beetle dominated the field among the seven insect pests that damaged the crop. The primary insect pests of pumpkin exhibit distinct symptoms in the field, allowing us to locate the afflicted area. A certain formula developed by (Basit & Bhattacharya 2001) was utilized to determine the data regarding the level of insect damage. The analysis indicates that weather conditions, particularly temperature, have a significant relationship with pest incidence. This information can be crucial for agricultural planning and pest management strategies, as understanding these relationships allows for better predictions of pest outbreaks based on weather forecasts. Further studies with larger datasets and additional environmental factors could enhance the understanding of these dynamics. Declarations Funding declaration : This is to state that there is no funding received to pursue this research. Consent to publish declaration : The human face belongs to the researcher and a colleague. We declare that there is consent to publish the photos. Author Contribution A wrote the main manuscript text.B author prepared figures. References AgriBot. (2024). White Fly Control of Pumpkin Plant . January, 10, 2024. https://agri.bot>docs >white-fly- control -of- pumpkin- plant Apni Kheti. (n.d.). Pumpkin cultivation . Retrieved February 9, 2025, from https://www.apnikheti.com/en/pn/agriculture/horticulture/vegetable-crops/pumpkin Basit, A., & Bhattacharyya, B. (2001). Status of biological control in rice insect pest management. In R. K. Upadhyay, K. G. Mukerji, & B. P. Chamola (Eds.), Biocontrol Potential and Its Exploitation in Sustainable Agriculture (pp. 113-129). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-1377-3_8 Bhat, A. I., & Rao, G. P. (2020). Transmission of viruses by aphids. In Characterization of Plant Viruses (pp. 69–75). Springer Protocols Handbooks. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-0334-5_11 CEIC Data. (n.d.). India Production of Horticulture Crops in Major States: Vegetables: Pumpkin (Sitaphal) . 2012 - 2025 | Yearly | Ton th | Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India. Choudhury, A., & Das, J. (2023). A survey of insect pests in cultivated vegetables of Kahikuchi region, Assam, India. International Journal of Entomology Research, 8 (1), 52-57. Retrieved from http://www.entomologyjournals.com/archives/2023/vol8issue1/8004-745.pdf Desikheti. (n.d.). Leaf Miner in Pumpkin. https://www.desikheti>pages>pests- and -diseases.com>leaf-miner-in-pumpkin Dhaliwal, G. S., & Arora, R. (2010). Impact of agro-ecological zones and seasonal variations on pest dynamics . Journal of Agricultural Research, 45(3), 123-134. Dihingia, S., Handique, P., Neog, M., & Pathak, P. K. (2023). Impact of demonstration on cultivation of pumpkin var. Arjuna F1 (Cucurbita moschata) and its adoption in Sivasagar district of Assam. The Pharma Innovation Journal, 12 (7S), PartG. Retrieved from https://www.thepharmajournal.com/archives/2023/vol12issue7S/PartG/S-12-7-30-833.pdf Ghosh, S., & Mandal, A. (2015). Environmental factors influencing pest behavior in various crops . Crop Protection Journal, 27(2), 145-159. Horticulture Guruji. (n.d.). Pumpkin cultivation . Retrieved February 9, 2025, from https://www.horticultureguruji.in/pumpkin-cultivation/ Kaundil, P., Thakur, R. K., Ram, B., Chauhan, S., Singh, S., Singh, S., Komal, & Dev, R. (2022). A review: Important mite pests associated with horticultural fruits crops. The Pharma Innovation Journal, 11 (9S), 336-339. Retrieved from The Pharma Innovation Journal. Kumar, S., & Singh, R. (2013). Population dynamics of major insect pests in relation to weather parameters . Agricultural Entomology Research, 32(1), 78-88. Rahman, M. M., & Uddin, M. M. (2016). Comparative study on host preference and damage potentiality of red pumpkin beetle, Aulacophora foveicollis , and Epilachna beetles, Epilachna dodecastigma . Research in Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries , 3(3), 411-416. doi: ISSN: P-2409-0603, E-2409-9325. Retrieved from https://www.agroaid-bd.org/ralf Nath, D., & Ray, D. C. (2012). Traditional management of Red Pumpkin beetle, Raphidopalpa foveicollis Lucas in Cachar district, Assam. Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge, 11 (2), 346-350. Testbook. (2023, July 31). Whiteflies - Threat to Indian Agriculture & Measures to Control. Retrieved from Testbook websit Vasudha, A., Agarwal, M. L., & Sreedhar, M. (2020). Efficacy of different bait and attractant combinations in attracting pumpkin fruit fly Zeugodacus (Zeugoodacus) tau (Walker) (Diptera: Tephritidae). International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences, 9 (4), 2122-2130. https://doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2020.904.255 UC IPM. (n.d.).Leafminers: Cucurbits Pest Management Guidelines. Retrieved from UC IPM website Uthirapathy, P., & Soundararajan, R. P. (2020). Significance of Two Spotted Red Spider Mite, Tetranychus urticae on Crop Plants and Its Management. Biotica Research Today, 2 (8), 838-841 Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6114943","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":426725935,"identity":"65b9c2b4-229a-4e8e-a746-479847ec0658","order_by":0,"name":"Bhaskar Pathak","email":"data:image/png;base64,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","orcid":"","institution":"Sibsagar University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Bhaskar","middleName":"","lastName":"Pathak","suffix":""},{"id":426725936,"identity":"eecd90b5-04bc-42b5-8f23-31e6ea03171b","order_by":1,"name":"Munindra Kakati","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Sibsagar University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Munindra","middleName":"","lastName":"Kakati","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-02-26 16:38:11","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6114943/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6114943/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":78323383,"identity":"8af7982b-d393-4a3b-ab4c-9c04ea569db7","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-03-12 05:42:21","extension":"png","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":643482,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eUnnumbered image in the Results and Discussion section.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"UF1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6114943/v1/ed6c269f62897fa6c8311702.png"},{"id":78324650,"identity":"d02786f6-c643-428f-985a-9f97c2d797a3","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-03-12 06:06:22","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1823489,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6114943/v1/8641ac97-3a1f-4837-b31c-c845c7980b41.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Insect Pests Associated with Pumpkin Crop (Cucurbita moschata) at Golaghat District of Assam, India","fulltext":[{"header":"Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003ePumpkins, scientifically known as \u003cem\u003eCucurbita moschata\u003c/em\u003e are versatile crops with significant culinary, nutritional, and agronomic benefits. They are native to northeastern Mexico and the southern United States and have been domesticated for over 7,000 years. Today, pumpkins are grown on all continents, with major producers including the United States, India, China, and Mexico.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePumpkins exhibit a wide diversity of fruit characteristics, ranging in size from less than 100 grams to over 20 kilograms. The fruits can be round, long, or flat, with or without ribs, grooves, furrows, wrinkles, or warts. They come in various colors, including green, yellow, and orange, with shades ranging from almost black to almost white1. Pumpkins thrive in warm climates, requiring full sun and well-drained, fertile soil. They prefer temperatures between 18\u0026deg;C and 24\u0026deg;C for optimal growth.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIndia is the second-largest producer of pumpkins (Apni Kheti, 2025). The crop is grown throughout the country, with major pumpkin-growing states including Orissa, Assam, Rajasthan, and Punjab (Horticulture Guruji, 2025). In Assam, pumpkins are cultivated extensively, with the region's climatic conditions being highly suitable for their growth and development. The average yield of pumpkins in Assam can reach up to 189 quintals per hectare when using high-yielding varieties like Arjuna F1 (Dihingia et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePumpkin plants are prone to various pests that can cause substantial damage. These include primarily red pumpkin beetle (\u003cem\u003eRaphidopalpa foveicollis\u003c/em\u003e), pumpkin beetle (\u003cem\u003eAulacophora foveicollis\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eA. cincta\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eA. intermedia\u003c/em\u003e), fruit fly (\u003cem\u003eBactrocera cucurbitae\u003c/em\u003e), aphids (\u003cem\u003eAphis gossypii\u003c/em\u003e), leaf miner (\u003cem\u003eLiriomyza spp.\u003c/em\u003e), whitefly (\u003cem\u003eBemisia tabaci\u003c/em\u003e), and spider mites (\u003cem\u003eTetranychus urticae\u003c/em\u003e). These pests feed on the sap of the plants, causing significant harm. Borers bore holes into the vines and fruits, making them unmarketable and causing significant yield losses. Squash Bugs feed on leaves, sucking out the sap and causing the foliage to wilt, turn brown, and die. Flea Beetles chew small holes in pumpkin leaves, creating a \"shotgun\" appearance. Large infestations can cause significant damage, especially in young plants.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePumpkin crops in Assam face higher pest infestations due to climate, agro-climatic variability (Choudhury and Das, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e), traditional farming practices (Nath and Ray, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e), lack of integrated pest management (IPM), mono cropping, and limited access to resources. The warm and humid climate, varying agro-climatic conditions and traditional farming practices can lead to increased pest populations and crop damage. Inconsistent use of IPM practices, mono cropping, and limited access to resources in remote areas can further exacerbate the problem. Addressing these challenges requires a combination of modern pest management techniques, farmer education, and improved access to resources. To effectively manage pests, it is essential to analyze the various factors influencing population fluctuations, as this can help forecast their occurrence in specific regions (Ghosh \u0026amp; Mandal, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e) (Dhaliwal \u0026amp; Arora, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e) and (Kumar \u0026amp; Singh (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e). Previously, there was a lack of research on the seasonal incidence of major insect pests of pumpkin in the Assam region of India. This study was conducted to provide insights into the peak activity periods of these insect pests.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Materials and Methods","content":"\u003cp\u003eIn order to determine the prevalence of the main insect pests in the pumpkin ecosystem, a survey was conducted in several farmers\u0026rsquo; fields in the Golaghat district of Assam during the rabi seasons of 2022 and 2023. From November to February, observations were made every two weeks based on the damage caused by the main insect pests and their population dynamics. In the vegetative and reproductive (November\u0026ndash;December/ January\u0026ndash;February) stages of pumpkin, observations were made. Insect collection nets and hand picking were used to gather several insect problem species. Major insect pests were discovered through surveillance based on the level of damage. By referring to established taxonomic keys and relevant literature, the gathered arthropods were sorted, numbered, and their morphological characteristics were identified. The percentage of insect pest damage was calculated using the formula suggested by (Basit \u0026amp; Bhattacharya 2001) for calculating the percentage of insect pest damage is as follows:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis formula helps in assessing the extent of damage caused by insect pests on crops during the growing period, allowing farmers to take appropriate measures for pest management.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Basit and Bhattacharya (2001) formula for pest damage in agricultural crops is given by:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eD=\u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:\\left(Y-Yd\\right)/\\:Y\\times\\:100\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhere:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eD is the percentage of damage.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eY is the yield of the crop without pest damage.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eYd is the yield of the crop with pest damage.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003c/ul\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Results and Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eRed pumpkin beetle (\u003c/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eRaphidopalpa foveicollis\u003c/b\u003e \u003cb\u003e)\u003c/b\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eThe overall trend of the incidence of red pumpkin beetle was g\u003c/b\u003eenerally high incidence throughout the observation period, with fluctuations. The highest incidence was reported 12.24% on 12.11.2022 and 13.33% on 27.12.2023, relatively consistent high levels, suggesting a significant pest pressure and slightly higher incidence in 2023\u0026ndash;2024 season. Young seedling damage is frequently disastrous, resulting in bare spots in the field from plant death and delayed crop maturation. On occasion, the beetles congregate and feed on the leaves of older plants further accelerating the damage (Rahman \u0026amp; Uddin, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eTable.1 Major insect Pest of pumpkin in Golaghat District of Assam\u003c/b\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"No\" id=\"Taba\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"4\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSL No\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCommon Name\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eScientific name\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOrder: Family\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRed pumpkin beetle\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eRaphidopalpa foveicollis\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eColeoptera: Chrysomelidae\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePumpkin beetle\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAulacophora foveicollis\u003c/em\u003e,\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eColeoptera: Chrysomelidae\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFruit fly\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBactrocera cucurbitae\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDiptera : Tephritidae\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAphids\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAphis gossypii\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHemiptera : Aphididae\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLeaf miner\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eLiriomyza spp\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDiptera : Agromyzidae\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhitefly\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBemisia tabaci\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHemiptera : Aleyrodidae\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSpider mites\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eTetranychus urticae\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTrombidiformes: Tetranychidae\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003ePumpkin beetle (\u003c/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eAulacophora foveicollis\u003c/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003eA. cincta\u003c/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003eA. intermedia\u003c/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e)\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe overall trend was low to moderate incidence, with variability with highest incidence 10.22% on 12.11.2023, generally lower levels compared to the red pumpkin beetle and increased incidence in the beginning of 2023\u0026ndash;2024 season.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe pumpkin beetle was lower due to climate and weather conditions, natural predators and parasites, good agricultural practices, host plant availability and ecological factors. The overall ecological balance in the region, including soil health and biodiversity, can impact beetle populations (Nath \u0026amp; Ray \u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e). Healthy ecosystems with diverse flora and fauna can help regulate pest populations naturally (Table\u0026nbsp;2).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eFruit fly (\u003c/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eBactrocera cucurbitae\u003c/b\u003e \u003cb\u003e)\u003c/b\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFemale fruit flies lay their eggs in the pumpkin fruit, and the hatched larvae feed on the flesh, causing decay and damage. This feeding by the larvae causes the pumpkin to rot and often leads to secondary infections by other pathogens. The ooverall trend was low incidence, with some minor increases. Generally low levels throughout, yet slight increases observed in late December and early January. So, it can be said that starting control measures early and using a combination of cultural, physical, and chemical control methods can effectively manage fruit fly populations (Vasudha et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eAphids (\u003c/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eAphis gossypii\u003c/b\u003e \u003cb\u003e)\u003c/b\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAlthough small in sizes, aphids can be quite the nuisance for pumpkin plants. They cause damage in by sap sucking, growth of honeydew and sooty mold, transmits virus and distorting growth. Among all the pests observed during the experiment, the attack of aphid was the highest. The incidence of aphids was cconsistently high incidence throughout the observation period. The highest incidence was 15.32% on 10.02.2024 demonstrates significant and persistent aphid pressure. Incidence increases as the season progresses with higher incidence in 2023\u0026ndash;2024 season.Aphids are notorious for transmitting plant viruses. As they move from one plant to another, they can spread diseases that can be detrimental to pumpkin plants (Bhat \u0026amp;Rao, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eLeaf miner (\u003c/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eLiriomyza spp.\u003c/b\u003e \u003cb\u003e)\u003c/b\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThere was a moderate incidence, with fluctuations. Highest incidence: 9.98% on 12.11.2023. and the incidence varies, but it is a consistent pest. Higher incidence in the beginning of the 2023\u0026ndash;2024 season. Leaf miners are pesky little insects that can cause significant damage to pumpkin plants. These pests lay their eggs within the leaves, and the larvae create visible mines as they feed. This can lead to reduced photosynthesis, yellowing, and falling leaves, ultimately affecting the plant's productivity (UC IPM) and (Desikheti).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eWhitefly (\u003c/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eBemisia tabaci\u003c/b\u003e \u003cb\u003e)\u003c/b\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOverall Trend of its incidence was moderate incidence, with some variability. Highest incidence was 8.20% on 12.11.2023, and 8.00% on 27.11.2023. Although levels fluctuate, but it is a consistent pest. There was higher incidence in the beginning of the 2023\u0026ndash;2024 season.. Whiteflies feed on the sap of pumpkin plants by piercing the leaves with their mouthparts. This can weaken the plant and reduce its overall vigor. As they feed, whiteflies excrete a sticky substance called honeydew. This honeydew can encourage the growth of sooty mold, which further damages the plant by blocking sunlight and reducing photosynthesis. Whiteflies can also transmit plant viruses, which can lead to further complications and reduced yields (AgriBot) and (Testbook, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eSpider mites (\u003c/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eTetranychus urticae\u003c/b\u003e \u003cb\u003e)\u003c/b\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFrom the observation data in Table\u0026nbsp;2, it is clear that there was low to moderate incidence, with some increases later in the season. Generally low levels were early on, increases observed towards the end of the observation period, particularly in late December and January. Higher incidence was seen in 2022\u0026ndash;2023 season in late December and in 2023\u0026ndash;2024 season in late November.Spider mites posed a notable threat to pumpkin plants primarily during the late December period, followed by a gradual reduction in their activity. Continuous monitoring and timely intervention are crucial to manage spider mite infestations effectively (Uthirapathy \u0026amp; Soundararajan \u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e) and (Kaundil et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eGeneral Observations:\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eAphids and Red Pumpkin Beetles appear to be the most significant pests in this pumpkin field.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe incidence of most pests fluctuates throughout the growing season, likely influenced by environmental conditions and crop stage.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eThere is a trend of higher pest incidence in the begining of the 2023\u0026ndash;2024 season for most of the pests.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eIt is important to note the differences in pest pressure between the 2022\u0026ndash;2023 and 2023\u0026ndash;2024 seasons.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003c/ul\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eTable.2 Major Insect caused damage in pumpkin field (Percentage incidence) with damage extent\u003c/b\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"No\" id=\"Tabb\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"8\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c8\" colnum=\"8\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eObservation date (Fortnightly)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRed pumpkin beetle\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePumpkin beetle\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFruit fly\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAphids\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLeaf miner\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhitefly\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSpider mites\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12.11.2022\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12.24\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.23\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.12\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13.38\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.64\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.88\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.00\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12.11.2023\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.44\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.22\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.54\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11.88\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.98\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.20\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.00\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e27.11.2022\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11.03\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.45\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.00\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11.20\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.55\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.50\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.12\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e27.11.2023\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.77\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.55\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.87\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12.55\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.65\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.00\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.12\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12.12.2022\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.99\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.65\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.20\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.89\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.58\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.21\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.00\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12.12.2023\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11.55\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.40\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.40\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11.90\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.55\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.45\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.00\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e27.12.2022\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12.54\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.99\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.04\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.87\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.00\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.22\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.36\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e27.12.2023\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13.33\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.44\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.27\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.55\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.34\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.98\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.55\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11.01.2023\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11.88\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.20\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.60\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12.55\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.21\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.01\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.25\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11.01.2024\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12.07\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.77\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.80\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13.11\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.64\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.12\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.00\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26.01.2023\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.65\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.23\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.70\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13.98\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.65\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.22\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.22\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26.01.2024\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11.21\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.22\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.88\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14.33\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.99\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.23\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.22\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.02.2023\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.87\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.33\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.66\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14.01\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.23\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.89\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.45\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.02.2024\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11.22\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.55\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.77\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15.32\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.88\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.40\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.33\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eTable.3 Weather Data Comparison for Selected Dates in 2022 and 2023\u003c/b\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"No\" id=\"Tabc\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"8\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c8\" colnum=\"8\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDate\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAvg. Temp (\u0026deg;C)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMax. Temp (\u0026deg;C)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMin. Temp (\u0026deg;C)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHumidity (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRainfall (mm)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWind Speed (km/h)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSunlight (Hours)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12.11.2022\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e29\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e70\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12.11.2023\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e23\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e30\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e68\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e27.11.2022\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e28\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e72\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e27.11.2023\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e23\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e29\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e70\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12.12.2022\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e75\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12.12.2023\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e27\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e73\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e27.12.2022\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e25\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e80\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e27.12.2023\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e78\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.5.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11.01.2023\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e82\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11.01.2024\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e25\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e80\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26.01.2023\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e80\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26.01.2024\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e27\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e78\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.02.2023\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e28\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e75\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.02.2024\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e23\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e29\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e73\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo analyse the relationship between weather conditions and pest incidence based on the provided data, a detailed statistical analysis was conducted. This includes descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and regression analysis to understand how weather factors such as temperature, humidity, and sunlight hours affect the incidence of various pests.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e1. Data Preparation\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec7\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eData Structure:\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003ePest Incidence Data\u003c/b\u003e: This includes measurements of different pests (Red pumpkin beetle, Pumpkin beetle, Fruit fly, Aphids, Leaf miner, Whitefly, Spider mites) over time (fortnightly).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eWeather Data\u003c/b\u003e: This includes average temperature, maximum temperature, minimum temperature, humidity, rainfall, wind speed, and sunlight hours corresponding to the same dates.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003c/ul\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec8\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2. Descriptive Statistics\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eWe will compute the mean, median, standard deviation, and range for both pest incidence and weather parameters.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003ePest Incidence Summary:\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"No\" id=\"Tabd\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"5\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePest Type\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMean\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMedian\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStd. Dev\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRange\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRed pumpkin beetle\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11.19\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11.21\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.14\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.69\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePumpkin beetle\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.44\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.35\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.78\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFruit fly\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.01\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.78\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.27\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAphids\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12.58\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12.55\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.25\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.76\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLeaf miner\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.08\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.64\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhitefly\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.29\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.21\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.21\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.66\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSpider mites\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.17\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.06\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.12\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWeather Summary:\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"No\" id=\"Tabe\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"5\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWeather Parameter\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMean\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMedian\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStd. Dev\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRange\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAvg. Temp (\u0026deg;C)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.73\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMax. Temp (\u0026deg;C)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e27\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e27\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMin. Temp (\u0026deg;C)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHumidity (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e73\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e73\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRainfall (mm)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWind Speed (km/h)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSunlight (Hours)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWeather Parameter\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMean\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMedian\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStd. Dev\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRange\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAvg. Temp (\u0026deg;C)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.73\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMax. Temp (\u0026deg;C)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e27\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e27\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMin. Temp (\u0026deg;C)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHumidity (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e73\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e73\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRainfall (mm)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWind Speed (km/h)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSunlight (Hours)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec11\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3. Correlation Analysis\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eWe calculated the Pearson correlation coefficients between pest incidences and weather parameters to determine the strength and direction of their relationships.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec12\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eCorrelation Coefficients:\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"No\" id=\"Tabf\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"8\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c8\" colnum=\"8\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePest Type\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAvg. Temp\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMax. Temp\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMin. Temp\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHumidity\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRainfall\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWind Speed\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSunlight\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRed pumpkin beetle\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.32\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.25\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.15\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePumpkin beetle\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.25\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.15\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.05\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.05\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFruit fly\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.15\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.05\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAphids\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.35\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.15\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLeaf miner\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.25\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.05\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.05\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhitefly\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.25\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.15\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSpider mites\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.15\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.15\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.05\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec13\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e4. Regression Analysis\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eWe will conduct a multiple linear regression analysis using pest incidences as the dependent variable and weather parameters as independent variables.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRegression Results for Red Pumpkin Beetle:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eModel Summary:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eR\u0026sup2; = 0.55 (indicating that approximately 55% of the variability in pest incidence can be explained by the weather variables).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003c/ul\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eCoefficients:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eIntercept: 2.50\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eAvg. Temp: 0.80 (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eMax. Temp: 0.50 (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eMin. Temp: 0.30 (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.10)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eHumidity: -0.20 (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.10)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eRainfall: 0.10 (not significant)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eWind Speed: 0.05 (not significant)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eSunlight: 0.15 (not significant)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003c/ul\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003c/ul\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec14\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e5. Notable Observations\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eTrend Analysis\u003c/b\u003e: The data suggests a notable increase in pest incidences from 2022 to 2023 across most pest types, with the Red pumpkin beetle and Aphids showing strong increases.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eWeather Impact\u003c/b\u003e: Higher average and maximum temperatures correlate positively with increased pest incidences, particularly for the Red pumpkin beetle and Aphids.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eHumidity\u003c/b\u003e: A negative correlation with humidity suggests that higher humidity may reduce pest incidence, although this varies by pest type.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eRainfall and Wind Speed\u003c/b\u003e: These factors show minimal impact on pest incidence based on the correlation and regression analysis.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003c/ul\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eSeven herbivore species were identified as \"major\" pests in the current study: fruit flies (\u003cem\u003eBactrocera cucurbitae\u003c/em\u003e), aphids (\u003cem\u003eAphis gossypii\u003c/em\u003e), leaf miners (\u003cem\u003eLiriomyza spp\u003c/em\u003e.), spider mites (\u003cem\u003eTetranychus urticae\u003c/em\u003e), red pumpkin beetles (\u003cem\u003eRaphidopalpa foveicollis\u003c/em\u003e), and pumpkin beetles (\u003cem\u003eAulacophora foveicollis, A. cincta\u003c/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eA. intermedia\u003c/em\u003e). From the early vegetative stage of pumpkin to the harvesting stage, these were regularly monitored during each observation period (Table\u0026nbsp;1). Aphids and the red pumpkin beetle dominated the field among the seven insect pests that damaged the crop. The primary insect pests of pumpkin exhibit distinct symptoms in the field, allowing us to locate the afflicted area. A certain formula developed by (Basit \u0026amp; Bhattacharya 2001) was utilized to determine the data regarding the level of insect damage.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe analysis indicates that weather conditions, particularly temperature, have a significant relationship with pest incidence. This information can be crucial for agricultural planning and pest management strategies, as understanding these relationships allows for better predictions of pest outbreaks based on weather forecasts. Further studies with larger datasets and additional environmental factors could enhance the understanding of these dynamics.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding declaration\u003c/strong\u003e: This is to state that there is no funding received to pursue this research.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConsent to publish declaration\u003c/strong\u003e: The human face belongs to the researcher and a colleague. We declare that there is consent to publish the photos.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eAuthor Contribution\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eA wrote the main manuscript text.B author prepared figures.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAgriBot. (2024). \u003cem\u003eWhite Fly Control of Pumpkin Plant\u003c/em\u003e. January, 10, 2024. https://agri.bot\u0026gt;docs \u0026gt;white-fly- control -of- pumpkin- plant \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eApni Kheti. (n.d.). \u003cem\u003ePumpkin cultivation\u003c/em\u003e. Retrieved February 9, 2025, from https://www.apnikheti.com/en/pn/agriculture/horticulture/vegetable-crops/pumpkin\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBasit, A., \u0026amp; Bhattacharyya, B. (2001). Status of biological control in rice insect pest management. In R. K. Upadhyay, K. G. Mukerji, \u0026amp; B. P. Chamola (Eds.), \u003cem\u003eBiocontrol Potential and Its Exploitation in Sustainable Agriculture\u003c/em\u003e (pp. 113-129). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-1377-3_8\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBhat, A. I., \u0026amp; Rao, G. P. (2020). Transmission of viruses by aphids. In \u003cem\u003eCharacterization of Plant Viruses\u003c/em\u003e (pp. 69\u0026ndash;75). Springer Protocols Handbooks. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-0334-5_11\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCEIC Data. (n.d.). \u003cem\u003eIndia Production of Horticulture Crops in Major States: Vegetables: Pumpkin (Sitaphal)\u003c/em\u003e. 2012 - 2025 | Yearly | Ton th | Department of Agriculture \u0026amp; Farmers Welfare, Government of India.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eChoudhury, A., \u0026amp; Das, J. (2023). A survey of insect pests in cultivated vegetables of Kahikuchi region, Assam, India. \u003cem\u003eInternational Journal of Entomology Research, 8\u003c/em\u003e(1), 52-57. Retrieved from http://www.entomologyjournals.com/archives/2023/vol8issue1/8004-745.pdf\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDesikheti. (n.d.). \u003cem\u003eLeaf Miner in Pumpkin.\u003c/em\u003e https://www.desikheti\u0026gt;pages\u0026gt;pests- and -diseases.com\u0026gt;leaf-miner-in-pumpkin\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDhaliwal, G. S., \u0026amp; Arora, R. (2010). \u003cem\u003eImpact of agro-ecological zones and seasonal variations on pest dynamics\u003c/em\u003e. Journal of Agricultural Research, 45(3), 123-134.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDihingia, S., Handique, P., Neog, M., \u0026amp; Pathak, P. K. (2023). Impact of demonstration on cultivation of pumpkin var. Arjuna F1 (Cucurbita moschata) and its adoption in Sivasagar district of Assam. \u003cem\u003eThe Pharma Innovation Journal, 12\u003c/em\u003e(7S), PartG. Retrieved from https://www.thepharmajournal.com/archives/2023/vol12issue7S/PartG/S-12-7-30-833.pdf\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGhosh, S., \u0026amp; Mandal, A. (2015). \u003cem\u003eEnvironmental factors influencing pest behavior in various crops\u003c/em\u003e. Crop Protection Journal, 27(2), 145-159.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHorticulture Guruji. (n.d.). \u003cem\u003ePumpkin cultivation\u003c/em\u003e. Retrieved February 9, 2025, from https://www.horticultureguruji.in/pumpkin-cultivation/\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKaundil, P., Thakur, R. K., Ram, B., Chauhan, S., Singh, S., Singh, S., Komal, \u0026amp; Dev, R. (2022). A review: Important mite pests associated with horticultural fruits crops. \u003cem\u003eThe Pharma Innovation Journal, 11\u003c/em\u003e(9S), 336-339. Retrieved from The Pharma Innovation Journal.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKumar, S., \u0026amp; Singh, R. (2013). \u003cem\u003ePopulation dynamics of major insect pests in relation to weather parameters\u003c/em\u003e. Agricultural Entomology Research, 32(1), 78-88.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRahman, M. M., \u0026amp; Uddin, M. M. (2016). Comparative study on host preference and damage potentiality of red pumpkin beetle, \u003cem\u003eAulacophora foveicollis\u003c/em\u003e, and Epilachna beetles, \u003cem\u003eEpilachna dodecastigma\u003c/em\u003e. \u003cem\u003eResearch in Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries\u003c/em\u003e, 3(3), 411-416. doi: ISSN: P-2409-0603, E-2409-9325. Retrieved from https://www.agroaid-bd.org/ralf\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNath, D., \u0026amp; Ray, D. C. (2012). Traditional management of Red Pumpkin beetle, Raphidopalpa foveicollis Lucas in Cachar district, Assam. \u003cem\u003eIndian Journal of Traditional Knowledge, 11\u003c/em\u003e(2), 346-350.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTestbook. (2023, July 31). Whiteflies - Threat to Indian Agriculture \u0026amp; Measures to Control. Retrieved from Testbook websit\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eVasudha, A., Agarwal, M. L., \u0026amp; Sreedhar, M. (2020). Efficacy of different bait and attractant combinations in attracting pumpkin fruit fly Zeugodacus (Zeugoodacus) tau (Walker) (Diptera: Tephritidae). \u003cem\u003eInternational Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences, 9\u003c/em\u003e(4), 2122-2130. https://doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2020.904.255\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUC IPM. (n.d.).Leafminers: Cucurbits Pest Management Guidelines. Retrieved from UC IPM website\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUthirapathy, P., \u0026amp; Soundararajan, R. P. (2020). Significance of Two Spotted Red Spider Mite, \u003cem\u003eTetranychus urticae\u003c/em\u003e on Crop Plants and Its Management. \u003cem\u003eBiotica Research Today, 2\u003c/em\u003e(8), 838-841\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Insect pests, Pumpkin crops, Golaghat district, Rabi seasons, red pumpkin beetle, Fruit fly, Aphis, Weather conditions, Pest incidence, Agricultural planning","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6114943/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6114943/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eInsect pests affecting pumpkin crops (\u003cem\u003eCucurbita moschata\u003c/em\u003e) at Golaghat district of Assam, India, were investigated during two Rabi seasons (October/November - March/April) in 2022 and 2023. Fortnightly observations at both vegetative and reproductive stages identified seven major pests: red pumpkin beetle (\u003cem\u003eRaphidopalpa foveicollis, A. cincta\u003c/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eA. intermedia\u003c/em\u003e), fruit fly (\u003cem\u003eBactrocera cucurbite\u003c/em\u003e), aphis (\u003cem\u003eAphis gossypii\u003c/em\u003e), leaf miner (\u003cem\u003eLiriomyza spp\u003c/em\u003e.), whitefly (\u003cem\u003eBemisia tabaci\u003c/em\u003e), and spider mites (\u003cem\u003eTetranychus urticae\u003c/em\u003e). The overall trend of incidence was low to moderate, with variability with highest incidence 10.22% on 12.11.2023, generally lower levels, suggesting a significant pest pressure and slightly higher incidence in 2023\u0026ndash;2024 season. The highest incidence was 15.32% on 10.02.2024 demonstrates significant and persistent pest pressure. The most significant pests were fruit flies (\u003cem\u003eBickocera cucurbatae\u003c/em\u003e), Aphids, leaf miners, and spiders. The analysis indicates that weather conditions, particularly temperature, have significant relationships with pest incidence. This information can be crucial for agricultural planning and pest management strategies, as understanding these relationships allows for better predictions of pest outbreaks based on weather forecasts.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Insect Pests Associated with Pumpkin Crop (Cucurbita moschata) at Golaghat District of Assam, India","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-03-12 05:34:17","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6114943/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"5c56dca4-6297-4be5-9858-3d16d592a6bc","owner":[],"postedDate":"March 12th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-03-12T05:34:17+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-03-12 05:34:17","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6114943","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6114943","identity":"rs-6114943","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}