Incidence of Pink Bollworm Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) on Flowers (Rosette) of Bt Cotton in Andhra Pradesh, India

Abstract

The pink bollworm Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) has recently emerged as a serious menace on Bt cotton in India. Extensive roving surveys were conducted in 12 locations of three major cotton growing districts of Andhra Pradesh, India, to assess the level of pink bollworm infestation in Bt cotton during 2018-19 and 2019-20. The dynamics and severity of flower damage due to pink bollworm during the 60-135 days’ crop period were evaluated based on a random sampling of flowers. Survey results revealed a widespread infestation of pink bollworm on Bt cotton flowers across the surveyed sites in a range of 11.8-19.50%. With the advancement of the crop season, a progressive increase in the flower damage was observed till 120 DAS then declined. Reasons for the enhanced flower damage and implications are discussed in this article.