An Evaluation of Insecticide Resistance Management of Cotton Pink Bollworm Pests and Diseases in India

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Cotton is the most important crop producing natural fibre which has been under commercial cultivation for domestic consumption and export needs of about 111 countries in the world and hence called "King of fibres" or "White gold”. The crop is attacked by 1326 species of insect pests throughout the world, of which about 130 different species of insects and mites found to devour cotton at different stages of crop growth in India. Among the bollworms, pink bollworm assumed major pest status in recent past and has known to cause loss in seed cotton yield, oil content, loss in normal opening of bolls, damage of locules, and reduction in seed cotton yield. The authors tried here to collect the information about the status of PBW, its source of abundance, life history, nature of damage, symptoms, mechanism of resistance, reasons of occurrence of this pest in BG II as well as control measures including IPM strategies. This information may helpful to the scientists to plant their research on this most devastating pest. Managing biotic stress in cotton has been dependent on the various pesticide molecules that are becoming available for cotton where farmers took extra-care to see that all the fruiting forms are retained intact to be harvested fully. This paper discusses the solutions that have arisen out of the country-wide monitoring of insecticide resistance in key pests as well and the use of alternate strategies such as biological control and host-plant resistance.

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