EFFECT OF MOON LIGHT AND LUNAR PERIODICITY ON THE LIGHT TRAP CATCHES OF CUTWORM AGROTIS-IPSILON (HUFN) MOTHS

The effect of moon light and lunar periodicity on the light trap catches of cutworm, Agrotis ipsilon (Hufn.) was studied during the active periods of 1986/87 and 1987/88 at Agriculture Research Farm of the Banaras Hindu Unversity, Varanasi. In the light traps a mercury vapour electric bulb of 160 watt was used as the source of light. The moths caught in the traps were correlated with the light illumination of different days of a lunar cycle and it showed that trap catches were consistently very low on moonlit nights around full moon. The significant linear and negative correlation between degree of moon phase and light trap catches was observed. On an average, the response was higher in descending phase (full moon to no moon) as compared to the ascending phase (no moon to full moon).