Correlation studies and multiple linear regression analysis of rice leaf folder, Cnaphalocrocis medinalis (Guenee) incidence with morphological characters of leaves of the rice varieties

Studies on “Correlation of rice leaf folder Cnaphalocrocis medinalis (Guenee) incidence with morphological characters of leaves of the rice varieties” were conducted during kharif 2015 at Agricultural college farm, Bapatla, A.N.G.R.A.U. Andhra Pradesh. The effect of different morphological characters like leaf length, leaf width and pubescence on leaf on per cent leaf folder damage were correlated and multiple regression models were worked out. The correlation coefficient (r) values between morphological characters and per cent leaf folder infestation during kharif 2015 indicated that the length of the leaf did not affect the infestation of rice leaf folder significantly, but the maximum leaf width showed significant positive correlation (r = 0.785) with the pest infestation. The results showed that the leaf length contributed 0.5 per cent (R2) towards the leaf folder infestation but with the addition of leaf width effect the value increased up to 62.5 per cent, clearly indicating that the significant role of leaf width in colonizing leaf folder larvae. Among morphological characters, leaf length did not influence the leaf folder incidence whereas positive significant correlation was observed with leaf width.