Pink bollworm – responsible for damaging nearly 4 lakh acres of cotton in 2021 – has been recently observed in certain fields within the Bathinda and Mansa districts of Punjab.
About Pink Bollworm:
- It is one of the most destructive pests of cotton.
- Scientific name: Pectinophora gossypiella
- Distribution: Originally native to India, it is now recorded in nearly all the cotton-growing countries of the world.
- Description:
- The adults are small moths about 3/8 inch long and are dark brownwith markings on the fore wing.
- The larval stage is the destructive and identifiable stage.
- The larvae have distinctive pink bands and can reach a length of ½ inches right before they pupate.
- Ecological Threat:
- Pink bollworms are major pests of cotton.
- Adults only last for 2 weeks, but females will lay 200 or more eggs.
- Adults lay eggs on cotton bolls; once hatched, the larvae eat the seeds and damage the fibres of the cotton, reducing the yield and quality.
- When the larvae mature, they cut out the boll and drop to the ground and cocoon near the soil surface.
- It has also been observed to attack hibiscus, okra, and hollyhock plants