4. 1.Fruit borer: Helicoverpa armigera
Symptoms of damage
1. Bolls showing regular, circular
bore holes
2. Larvae seen feeding on the
boll by thrusting their heads
alone inside and leaving
the rest of the body outside
3. Presence of granular faecal
pellets outside the bore hole
4. A single larva can damage 30-
40 bolls
Feeding Injury
5. 1.Fruit borer: Helicoverpa armigera
• Egg- Spherical in shape and creamy white in colour, present
singly
• Larva- Shows colour variation from greenish to brown. It
has dark brown grey lines on the body with lateral white
lines and also has dark and pale bands.
• Pupa- Brown in colour, occurs in soil, leaf, pod and crop
debris
Adult :
• Light pale brownish yellow stout moth
• Forewings are olive green to pale brown in colour with a
dark brown circular spot in the centre
• Hind wings are pale smoky white with a broad blackish
outer margin
• Identification of the pest
7. 2.Pink bollworm: Pectinophora gossypiella
Symptom of damage
• Rosetted flowers
• Excreta observed at the point of
bore holes by larval feeding.
When bolls are opened, damaged
seed kernel would be observed.
• They cut window holes
(interlocular burrowing) in the
two adjoining seeds thereby
forming "double seeds"
• The attacked buds and immature
bolls drop off
• Discolored lint and burrowed
seeds
8. 2.Pink bollworm: Pectinophora gossypiella
Identification of the pest
• Larva
• Shows colour variation. Young
larva are white and late instar
becomes almost black, brown or
green to pale or pink
• Several dark and light alternating
bands running the entire length
• Adult
• Small moth
• Forewings are brown or dull
yellow olive grey with dark spots
• Hind wings margins are deeply
fringed
•
Adult
9. 3.Spotted bollworms: Earias vittella, Spiny
bollworm: Earias insulana
Symptom of damage
•
• Drying and drooping of
terminal shoots during pre-
flowering stage
• Shedding of squares and
young bolls
• Flaring up of bracts during
square and young boll
formation stage
• Holes on bolls and rotting of
bolls
Drying - terminal shoots
11. 3.Spotted bollworms
Identification of the pest:
• E. vitella
• Larva- Brownish with white streaks dorsally
and pale yellow ventrally, Without finger
shaped processes
• Adult
• Small buff coloured
• Forewings are pea green with a wedge
shaped white band running from base to out
margin
• Identification of the pest: E. insulana
• Larva- Brown with dorsum showing a white
median longitudinal streak. The last two
thoracic segments and all the abdominal
segments have two pairs of fleshy tubercles
(finger shaped processes) one dorsal and the
other lateral
• Pupa - Brown and boat shaped
• Adult - Small buff coloured. Forewings are
uniformly silvery green
E. vitella - Larva
13. 4.Cotton Stem Weevil: Pempheres (Pempherulus)
affinis
Symptoms of damage
• Swellings on the stem just
above the ground level
• Young plants are invariably
killed
• Older plants that survive
lack vigor and strength,
breaks at the nodes due to
strong wind
Stem Gall
15. 4.Cotton Stem Weevil
Identification of the pest
• Larva - Grub, white in
colour without leg
(apodous)
• Adult - Very small weevil,
dark in colour with two
small white patches on the
elytra
16. 5.Shoot weevil: Alcidodes affaber
Symptoms of damage
• Terminal shoots with galls
• Bore hole surrounded by
raised margins
17. 5.Shoot weevil: Alcidodes affaber
Identification of the pest
• Adult - Weevil dark greyish
brown with pale cross
bands on the elytra
18. 5.Shoot weevil: Alcidodes affaber
Symptoms of damage
• Plants with drooping leaves
• Wilting in patches
Affected Stem/Infested Plant
20. 6.Leaf roller: Sylepta derogata
Symptom of damage
• Leaves rolled in the form of
trumpets fastened by silken
threads
• Marginal portion of leaves
eaten away
• Plants defoliated in severe
attack
Rolled Leaves
21. 6.Leaf roller: Sylepta derogata
Identification of the pest
• Larva- Bright green
(glistening) with dark head
and prothoracic shield
• Adult- Moth with yellow
wings having brown wavy
markings
22. 7.Tobacco Cutworm: Spodoptera litura
Symptoms of damage
• Scrapping the epidermal
layer, leaving the skeleton of
veins of leaf
• During severe attack, only
the stem and side shoots
will be standing in the field
without any leaf or bolls
• Larvae feed the leaves by
making small holes
23. 7.Tobacco Cutworm: Spodoptera litura
Identification of the pest
•
• Egg - Laid in masses which appear
golden brown
• Larva- Pale greenish with dark
markings. Gregarious in the early
stages
• Adult: Forewings- brown colour
with wavy white marking
• Hindwings- white colour with a
brown patch along the margin
24. 8.Ash weevils: Mylloecerus undecimpustulatus maculosus M.
subfasciatus
M. viridanus
M. discolor
Symptom of damage
•
• Leaf margins notched
• Wilting of plants in patches
• Plants come easily when
pulled
• Roots eaten away by grubs
25. 8.Ash weevils
Identification of the pest
• Grub - Small, white apodous
grub
• Mylloecerusundecimpustul
atus – Greenish elytra
having dark lines
• M. subfasciatus - Brownish
weevil
• M. viridanus –small light
green weevil
• M. discolor- brown weevil
26. 9.Leafhopper: Amrasca (Biguttula biguttula)
devastans
Symptoms of damage
• Tender leaves become yellow
• The margin of the leaves start
curling downwards and reddening
sets in
• In the case of severe infestation,
leaves get a bronze or brick red
colour which is typical “hopper
burn” symptom
• The margin of leaves gets broken
and crumbles into pieces when
crushed
• The leaves dry, shed and the crop
growth gets retarded
27. 8.Ash weevils
Identification of the pest
• Nymph - Light green,
translucent, wingless found
between the veins of leaves
on the under surface
• Adult - Green, wedge
shaped leafhopper.
28. 9.aphid: Aphis gossypii
Symptom of damage
• Infesting tender shoots and
under surface of the leaves
• Curling and crinkling of leaves
• Stunted growth
• Blighted appearance when
infestation is severe
• Development of black sooty
mould due to the excretion of
honey dew giving the plant a
dark appearance
29. 9.aphid: Aphis gossypii
Identification of the pest
• Nymphs - Yellowish or
greenish brown found on
the undersurface of leaves
• Adults - Greenish brown,
soft bodied and small
insects
• Winged forms may be seen
under crowded conditions
30. 10.Thrips: Thrips tabaci
Symptom of damage
• Shriveling of leaves due to
scrapping of epidermis and
de-sapping
• Attacked terminal buds-
have ragged edges
• Silvery shine on the
undersurface of leaves
31. 10.Thrips: Thrips tabaci
Identification of the pest
• Nymphs - Very minute,
slender, yellowish and
microscopic
Adult - Small, slender,
yellowish to brown with
fringed wings
32. 11.Whitefly: Bemisia tabaci
Symptom of damage
• Chlorotic spots on the leaves
which latter coalesce forming
irregular yellowing of leaf
tissue which extends from
veins to the outer edges of the
leaves
• Severe infestation results in
premature defoliation
• Development of sooty mould
• Shedding of buds and bolls
and poor boll opening
• It also transmits the leaf curl
virus diseases of cotton
33. 11.Whitefly: Bemisia tabaci
Identification of the pest
• Nymph- Greenish yellow,
oval in outline
Pupa- Oval in shape,
present on the under
surface of the leaves
Adult- Minute insects with
yellow body covered with a
white waxy bloom
Nymph/Pupae/Adult
34. 12.Red cotton bug: Dysdercus cingulatusi
Symptom of damage
• Red stained lint and rotting
bolls
• Inner boll wall with warty
growth or water soaked
spots
• Young bolls abort and turn
dark brown
• The
bacterium Nematosporagos
sypii enters the site of injury
and stains the fibre
35. 12.Red cotton bug: Dysdercus cingulatusi
Identification of the pest
• Nymphs and Adults -
Reddish bugs with white
bands on the abdomen and
black markings on the wings
36. 13.Dusky cotton bug: Oxycarenushyalinipennis
Symptom of damage
• Sucks the sap from
developing seeds in open
bolls and stains the lint
black
• Seeds discolored and
shrunken
37. 13.Dusky cotton bug: Oxycarenushyalinipennis
Identification of the pest
• Eggs - Cigar shaped, white
eggs in clusters of 2-10
within the half opened
bolls, on the bolls, flower or
buds
• Nymphs and adults - Dusky,
greyish brown bug, with
pointed head and hyaline
wings
38. 14. Mealy
bugs: Phenacoccus sp, Ferrisa spand Maconellicoccus
sp
Symptom of damage
• Heavy clustering of mealy
bugs usually seen under
surface of leaves as a thick
mat with waxy secretion
• Excrete copious amount of
honey dew on which the
fungus sooty mould grow
• Affected plants appear sick
and black, resulting reduced
fruiting capacity