Pink boll worm

Pectinophora gossypiella

· Larval excreta at bore hole point

· Rossette flowering

· Double seeds

· Early boll shedding

· Fade colored lint

· Hollow seeds

Cultural:

· Timely crop harvesting

· Rapid crop remains destruction

· Timed irrigation

· Ploughing & mulching

· Crop rotation with alfalfa

Chemical:

· Bolgard II

· Spinosad formulation sprays

Red cotton bug

Dysdercus cingulatusi

· Decayed bolls

· Red colored lint

· Water soaked bolls

· Boll browning

· Premature boll shedding

Cultural:

· Field ploughing

Chemical:

· Insecticidal phosphamidon spray

Shoot weevil

Alcidodes affaber

· Shoot galls

· High marginal bore holes

Cultural:

· FYM application

Chemical:

· Soil treatment with Carbofuran

Spotted bollworm

Earias vittela

· Terminal shoots wilting

· Bolls & squares shedding

· Bracts flaring up at boll formation stage

· Holes & rotting of bolls

Chemical:

· Insecticides (Carbaryl, Chlorantraniliprole, Indoxacarb, Phosalone or Triazophos)

Biological:

· Bacillus thuringiensis

Stem borer

Sphennoptera gossypii

· Drooped leaves

· Wilting

Cultural

· Soil treatment with Carbofuran

· Application of FYM

Thrips

Thrips tabaci

· Leaf epidermal removal

· Leaf wrinkling

· Destroyed bud edges

· Shiny grey under leaf surface

Chemical:

· Imidacloprid seed treatment

· Insectcidal sprays (Imidacloprid, Methyl demeton or Dimethoate)

Tobacco cutworm

Spodoptera litura

· Leaf veins skeleton

· Scrapped leaf epidermal layer

· Bare plants without leaves or bolls

· Small holes on leaves

Cultural:

· Light traps

· Sex pheromone trap

· Castor bordering

· Destruction of larval clusters

· Manual collection of shed plant parts

· Destruction of young caterpillars

Chemical:

· Insecticidal spray (Chlorpyriphos, Chlorantraniliprole, Diflubenzuron or Nuclear polyhedrosis virus)

· Poison bait rice bran pellets

White fly

Bemicia tabaci

· Leaf petiole & veins chlorosis

· Premature complete leaf shedding

· Mould spreading

· Buds & bolls shedding

· Lesser boll opening

· Major vector of Cotton leaf curl virus

Cultural

· Avoid host crops in adjoining areas

· Single cotton crop per year

· Preferred crop rotation with Corn, Sorghum or Ragi

· Eradication of weeds

· Proper sanitation of field

· Sticky traps

· Elimination of affected leaves

Chemical:

· Insecticidal sprays (Acetamipirid or Chlorpyriphos)

· Neem oil treatment

Biological:

· Verticillium lecanii