Intercropping impact on population of cotton sucking insect pests

Abstract

The cotton intercropping experiment was conducted for the management of sucking pests, viz. leafhopper, Amrasca biguttula biguttula Ishida (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae); whitefly, Bemisia tabaci Gennadius (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) and thrips, Thrips tabaci Linderman (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) in desi cotton, Gossypium arborium. The results of the study revealed that less mean population of leafhopper nymphs, whitefly and thrips adults was recorded from the treatments T1 (2.47,2.61 and 2.10/leaf, respectively) and Tg (2.49,2.52 and 2.25/leaf, respectively) where pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.) and sorghum {Sorghum bicolor L.) crops grown as border crops around cotton, respectively. Cotton as sole crop (T1) recorded the highest mean population of leafhopper nymphs, whitefly and thrips adults i.e. 3.54,3.97,3.59/leaf, respectively. However, the maximum net returns was recorded in cotton intercropped with sesame 1:1 (T,: 104140 r/ha) whereas minimum net returns was recorded in sole cotton (T1: 80021 r/ha).