Insect – Pest of Cotton Crop & Their Management

Insect – Pest of Cotton Crop and Their Management

Insect – Pest of Cotton Crop and Their Management

1.Spotted bollworms:-

Zoological Name:- Earias vitella & E. insulana

Host range:- Cotton, bhendi, holly hock, Hibiscus.

Family:- Noctuidae

Order:- Lepidoptera

Insect Symptoms:- A series of longitudinally black spots on the body with dull green colour and having tiny stout bristles are the main identification mark of spotted boll worm.

Damaging Symptoms:-

• “Flare square’ (Flare-up) is characteristic symptoms.
• In the attacked bolls the lint is spoiled by larval feeding.
• Newly hatched caterpillar bores into top tender shoot, the poion of the shoot above the damage withers, droops and dries up.
• When the squares and bolls begin to develop, these caterpillars move from the shoots and sta damaging bolls by making conspicuous holes into them.
• The developing bolls are also damaged and some of the damaged bolls fall to the ground.
• The infested bolls, which are not shed, are destroyed by the larvae eating the seeds and filling them with excrement. Such affected bolls may open prematurely and badly.

2.American bollworm/Green bollworm:-

Zoological Name:- Helicoverpa armigera

Host range:- Sorghum, lablab, soybean, peas, sunflower, safflower, chillies, groundnut, tobacco, bhendi, maize, tomato.

Family:- Noctuidae

Order:- Lepidoptera

Damaging Symptoms:-

• Caterpillars attack the squares, flower and bolls by thrusting their head inside and leaving the rest of the body outside.
• The damaged squares and young balls drop away from the plants.

Management of bollworms:-

Cultural practices:-

• Grow Bt cotton viz., Bollgard.
• Grow Helicoverpa resistant varieties like LD 135, Sujata, LK 861, Abadhita.
• Grow spotted bollworm resistant varieties like JK 119-25-54, BCS 10, BCS 10-75, FBRN 2-6, HAO 66,  Hopi, Deltapine, LH 95, UK 48G 27, Sanguineum

Biological Control:-

• Conservation and augmentation of natural predators and parasites for effective control of the pest
• Release of egg parasite- Trichogramma spp.

Chemical Control:-

• During the early stages of square formation, apply endosulfan 35 EC @ 0.2l/ha.
• During bolling and maturation stage, apply any one are of the following insecticides per ha; phosalone 50 EC 2.5 L quinalphos 25 EC 2.0 L, carbaryl 50 WP 2.5 kg (1000 L of spray fluid/ha).

3.Cotton Pink bollworm:-

Zoological Name:- Pectinophora gossypiella
Family:- Gelechidae

Order:- Lepidoptera

Host range:- Cotton, bhendi, holly hock and other malvaceous plants

Insect Symptoms:- The caterpillars are pink in colour and found inside the flower buds, panicles and the bolls of cotton.

Damaging Symptoms:-

• Damage done by caterpillar in various ways there is excessive shedding of the fruiting bodies.
• The young bolls, when attacked, are shed after a few days.
• “Rosette flower” is characteristic symptoms.
• The total shedding is caused by all the boll worms collectively one half may be due to the attack of pink boll worm.
• Double seed formation: The two adjoining seed are joining together within damaged boll by pink boll worm.

Management

• Use pheromone trap @ 12/ha to monitor the adult moth activity
• Destruction of cotton sprouts, alternative host plants or burning of the plant debris.
• Durign bolling and maturation stage, spray fennronathrin 30 EC 250-340 ml.
• Grow resistant cultivars like G 27, LD 135, Lohit, Abadhita, MCU 7, Sujata, Digvijay, Sanguineum.
• Deep ploughing (with furrow turning plough) done by the end of February.
• Intercropping with pulses viz. cowpea, greengram, blackgram and soybean reduce the population of sucking pests of cotton.
• Larval Parasitoid- Bracon greeni, Chelonus pectinophorae.

4.Leafhopper:-

Zoological Name:- Amrasca devastans

Host range:- Cotton, potato, brinjal, castor, bhendi, tomato, hollyhock and sunflower

Family:- Cicadellidae.

Order:- Hemiptera.

Distribution:- Cosmopolitan.

Damaging Symptoms:-

• Both nymphs and adults suck the sap from the under surface of leaves, tender leaves turn yellow, leaf margins curl downwards and reddening sets in.
• In the case of severe infestation leaves get a bronze or brick red colour which is typical “hopper burn”.
• Crop growth retarded.

Management

• Release predators viz., Chrysopa carnea.
• Spray monocrotophos 36 WSC @ 1000 ml/ha and NSKE 5% @ 25 kg/ha or 750 ml endosulfan 35 EC in 1000 L of water per hectare.
• Use resistant varieties like MCU 3, MCU 5.

Insect – Pest of Cotton Crop and Their Management

5.Cotton Aphid:-

Zoological Name:- Aphis gossypii

Host plants:- Cotton, bhendi, brinjal, chillies, guava.

Family:- Aphididae 

Order:- Hemiptera

Damaging Symptoms:-

• They occur in large numbers, suck the sap and cause stunted growth, gradual drying resulting in death of the plants.
• Development of black sooty mould due to the excretion of honeydew give the plant a dark appearance.

Management

• Conserve natural enemies viz., Monochilis sexmaculatus, sephumpunctata, Aphelimus mali, A flavipes, Phylloscopus tristis.
• Spray any one of insecticides Acetamiprid 20 SP 50g, NSKE 5% kg/ha or Azadirachtín 0.03% wih 500 ml water/ha.

6.Cotton Thrips:-

Zoological Name:- Thrips tabaci

Family:- Thripidae

Order:- Thysanoptera
Damaging Symptoms:-

• Both nymph and adult lacerate the tissue and suck the sap from the upper and lower surface of leaves and in cases of severe infestation they curl up and become crumbled.
• Silvery sheen on the lower surface can be seen in early stages of attack.

Management

• Monitor the nymphs and adults from the 14th day after sowing.
• Spray any one of insecticides Fipronil 5 SC 1.5-2.0 L, Dimethoate 30 EC 500 ml, Profenofos 50 EC 1000 ml etc.
• Conserve natural enemies viz., Monochilis sexmaculatus, sephumpunctata, Aphelimus mali, A flavipes, Phylloscopus tristis.
• Spray any one of insecticides Fipronil 5 SC 1.5-2.0 L, Dimethoate 30 EC 500 ml, Profenofos 50 EC 1000 ml etc.

7.Cotton Whitefly

Zoological Name:- Bemisia tabaci

Host range:- Cotton, tomato, tobacco, sweet potato, cassava, cabbage, cauliflower, melon, brinjal and bhendi.

Family:- Aleyrodidae

Order:- Hemiptera

Damaging Symptoms:- Damage done by two types.

1. The vitality of the plants is lowered through the loss of cell sap.
2. The normal photosynthesis is interfered with due to the growth of a sooty mould on the honey dew excreted by the insects.

• It transmit a number of viral disease including the leaf curl disease of tobacco, vein curling disease of okra and leaf curl of sesame & leaf cur virus disease in cotton.

Management

• Use white fly tolerant varieties like LK 861, Amravathi, Kanchan. Supriya, LPS 141.
• Treat 100 kg seeds with Imidacloprid 48 FS 500-900 ml or Imidacloprid 70 WS 500-1000 g, Thiamethoxam 30 FS 1.0 L or Thiamethoxam 70 WS 430 g.
• Spray NSKE 5% and neem oil 5 ml or fish oil rosin soap at 1 kg / 40 L of water (or) in combination with recommended dose of insecticide (2 ml/L).
• Remove and destroy alternate weed hosts like Abutilon indicum, Solanunigrum from the fields

8.Cotton Mealy bug

Zoological Name:- Phenacoccus solan
Host range: Polyphagous pest. Ornamental plants, fruit crops, vegetables and field crops.  Ninety one host plants spread across 24 families has been recorded in India till date.

Family:- Pseudococcidae

Damaging Symptoms:- 

• Plants infested during vegetative phase exhibit symptoms of leaf curling, distoed and bushy shoots, crinkled and/or twisted and bunchy leaves.
• Late season infestation during reproductive crop stage results in late opening of bolls, reduced plant vigour, early crop senescence, affecting the yield badly.

Management

• Grow pigeonpea, bajra or maize as border crop wherever possible.
• Neem Seed Kernel Extract (NSKE 5%) 50ml/L + Neem oil 5ml/L + detergent powder igm/L or Fish oil rosin liquid 10 ml mixed with neemionil/L or Karanj oil 10ml /L can be sprayed as spot application on infested stalks.
• Use Cryptolaemus montrouzieri adults /grub @ 10 per infested plants wherever available.
• Spray biopesticides viz., Veicillium lecanii (Potency 2 X 108 C.F.U. /gm) 10gm/l and Beauveria bassiana (Potency 108 spores/ml) 10ml/1.

Insect – Pest of Cotton Crop and Their Management

Minor Pests of Cotton

Scientific name	Family	Order
Red cotton bug (Minor but regular)
Dysdercus cingulatus	Pyrrhocoridae	Hemiptera
Dusky cotton bug (Minor but regular)
Oxycarenus hyalinipennis	Lygaeidae	Hemiptera
Tobacco Cutworm / cotton leafworm
Spodoptera litura	Noctuidae	Lepidoptera
Cotton Leaf roller
Sylepta derogata	Crambidae	Lepidoptera
Semiloopers
Anomis flava.	Noctuidae	Lepidoptera
Stem weevil
Pempherulus affinis	Curculionidae	Coleoptera
Shoot weevil
Alcidodes affaber	Curculionidae	Coleoptera
Surface weevil
Attactogaster finitimus	Curculionidae	Coleoptera
Black scale
Saissetia nigra	Coccoidea	Hemiptera
White scale
Pulvinaria maxima	Coccoidea	Hemiptera

Insect – Pest of Cotton Crop and Their Management MCQs

Q.1 Amrasca biguttula is a?

• Jassid
• Leaf roller
• Whitefly
• Stem weevil

Answer

Q.2 ‘Hibernacula’ is found in?

• Flower beetle
• Stem weevil
• Spotted boll worm
• Pink boll worm

Answer

Q.3 Trycho card is very effective against control of?

• Termite
• Pod borer
• Grasshopper
• Cutworm

Answer

Q.4 Spotted boll worm of cotton pupaes is?

• Inside the boll
• Out of the boll but naked
• Out of the boll in a coccon
• Inside the seeds

Answer

Q.5 Which one of the following is cotton leaf roller?

• Oxycarenus laetus
• Sylepta derogata
• Dysdercus cingulatus
• Pempherulus affinis

Answer

Q.6 The larvae of Sylepta derogata are?

• Greenish bluish
• Pinkish
• Blackish
• Yelowish

Answer

Q.7 Nymphs of red cotton bug also damage?

• Wheat
• Sugracane
• Gram
• Lady’s finger

Answer

Q.8 Which one of the following insects come from store to infest crop in field?

• Red cotton bug
• Leaf roller
• Spotted boll worm
• Pink boll worm

Answer

Q.9 In which of the following insects a greenish strip is found in forewings?

• Earia vitella
• Earias insulana
• Oxycarenus leatus
• Pectinophora gossypii

Answer

Q.10 Which one of the following lays stalked eggs?

• Bemisia tabaci
• Aphis gossypii
• Myllocerms sp
• Pempherulus affinis

Answer

Q.11 Larvae of Helicoverpa armigera damage?

• Pods
• Roots
• Stem
• Buds

Answer

Q.12 Against Helicoverpa armigera, NPV is applied @?

• 250 LE/ha
• 100 LE/ha
• 50 LE/ha
• 10 LE/ha

Answer

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Q.13 Tiny stout bristles is the characteristic feature of which insect?

• Spotted boll worm
• American boll worm
• Pink boll worm
• All of these

Answer

Q.14 “Flare square’ (Flare-up) is characteristic symptoms of which worm?

• Spotted boll worm
• American boll worm
• Pink boll worm
• All of these

Answer

Q.15 Double seed formation is characteristic symptoms of which worm?

• Spotted boll worm 
• American boll worm
• Pink boll worm
• All of these

Answer

Q.16 Rossete flower is characteristic symptoms of which worm?

• Spotted boll worm 
• American boll worm
• Pink boll worm
• All of these

Answer

Q.17 Hopper burn in cotton field is due to which insect?

• Spotted boll worm 
• Thrips
• Aphid
• Leaf hopper

Answer

Q.18 Leaf cur virus disease in cotton is transmitted by which insect?

• White fly 
• Thrips
• Aphid
• Leaf hopper 

Answer

Insect – Pest of Cotton Crop and Their Management