PERIYAR GOVERNMENT ARTS

COLLEGE
CUDDALORE -1
AFFILIATED TO THIRUVALLUVAR UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF ZOOLOGY
COURSE : III B.Sc Zoology
Subject Paper : applied entomology
Subject Code:UZO63

Title of the Assignment

PEST OF COTTON

Name of the Student : R.SUBASH

Roll Number:13ZT23
Register Number:10513U33039
Date of submission: 28.01.2016
Submitted to Dr. R.KANNAN, M.Sc., M.Phil., Ph.D
Assistant Professor & Head
PG & Research Department of Zoology

PESTS OF COTTON

SYNOPSIS
Introduction
Images for pest of cotton

Insect and mite pests which pierce or rasp

plant tissue to extract sap (Fig. A to D).
Caterpillars that chew or mine the foliage or
sever
seedling stems.
Insects that feed in squares or bolls.

Introduction
In 1980, cotton was planted on 25,506 hectares (63,000 acres) of North
Carolina farm land. Cleveland County, the Scotland-Robeson counties area,
and the Northampton-Halifax-Edgecombe counties area produce 90 percent
of the cotton in North Carolina. Insects are an important factor in cotton
production here but only the bollworm and the boll weevil are considered
limiting. A pest management approach of varying degrees of sophistication
has been applied for insect control in all cotton-producing areas of our state.

Images for pest of cotton

Insect and mite pests which pierce or rasp plant

tissue to extract sap (Fig. A to D).

Aphids - Usually feeding in colonies, these yellow, green or black, pearshaped insects (Fig. A above) may be as long as 2 mm and may or may not
have wings. Infested leaves curl and pucker; heavily infested seedlings
become stunted and die. A black mold, which grows on the sticky, sugary
"honeydew" that aphids excrete, is often evidence of aphid infestation.
Cotton aphid - This aphid is usually yellow in the summer and pale or dark
green in cooler seasons.

Cowpea aphid - The adult of this species is black with white appendages. The
nymph is pale gray with a powdery coating.
Tarnished plant bug - Approximately 6.4 mm long, this oval-shaped, brown
lygus bug (Fig. B above) has long legs, long antennae, and a white triangle
between its "shoulders." It extracts sap from terminals, squares, flowers, and
bolls, causing young fruiting forms to be shed. Infested flowers and bolls may
open prematurely.
Thrips - Several species of these yellow, orange, brown, or black rasping
insects (Fig. C above) attack seedling cotton. Foliage infested by these tiny,
fringed-wing insects becomes distorted and curls upward; terminal buds are
sometimes killed.
Twospotted spider mite - The almost microscopic, eight-legged, adult
female mite is yellowish (Fig. D above) to dark green with 2 or 4 dark spots
on its back. The immature mite may have 6 or 8 legs. Feeding on the
underside of the leaf, this mite extracts sap, causing the upper leaf surface to
have a whitish or bronze cast. Severe infestations can result in defoliation and
loss of plant vigor. Silken webs are common on the underside of infested
leaves, particularly along the large leaf veins.

Caterpillars that chew or mine the foliage or sever

seedling stems.
Armyworms - These smooth-skinned, variously colored caterpillars have 5
pairs of prolegs, are occasionally problem foliage pests, and may be difficult to
control chemically.

Beet armyworm - This dark-headed (Fig. A above), green or black larva

sometimes has 3 longitudinal, light stripes and usually attains a length of 25 to
30 mm. A small black spot occurs on each side of the second segment behind

the head (Fig. B above). This larva normally skeletonizes foliage but at times
feeds on squares, blooms, and bolls causing economic loss to cotton.
Fall armyworm - Although this green, brown, or black caterpillar primarily
attacks blooms, squares, and bolls, it
also feeds on the foliage,
occasionally tops plants, and bores into stems. This larva has 5 pairs of
prolegs, reaches a maximum length of 40 mm, and often has distinct inverted
"Y" on its head capsule (Fig. C above). It has a black, longitudinal stripe down
each side of its body and a yellowish-gray stripe down its back.
Yellowstriped armyworm - Reaching a length of up to 45 mm, the smoothskinned, pale gray to jet black caterpillar has a yellowish-orange stripe along
each side and a pair of black, triangular spots on the back of most segments
(Fig. D above). Like the fall armyworm, this larva often has a pale but distinct
inverted "Y" on its head capsule (Fig. E above). This insect rarely reaches
damaging levels on cotton but is most injurious to seedlings.
Cabbage looper - Reaching a length of about 40 mm, this green caterpillar
has 3 pairs of prolegs and several longitudinal, white stripes. Its body tapers
from rear to front. Its feeding leaves ragged holes in the
foliage.
Cutworms. These fat caterpillars reach a length of 40 or 45 mm and have 5
pairs of prolegs. They display a variety of feeding habits and curl up when
disturbed. They sever seedling stems and occasionally
feed on leaves.
Black cutworm - The skin of this light gray to black cutworm is granulated, the
granules resembling rounded, flattened pebbles (Fig. A). The caterpillar cuts
seedlings off at the soil line during the night. It commonly pulls the cut stem of
a seedling into the entrance of its burrow and feeds on it during the day.

Granulate cutworm - This cutworm has a pale brown head, a dark brown band
down its back and brown sides with faint stripes. The skin granules of this

cutworm are like blunt cones as high as they are wide (Fig. B). The caterpillar
also severs seedlings near the soil line at night.
Variegated cutworm - Although primarily damaging to seedling stems, this
species is a climbing cutworm and may feed on foliage. Its smooth-skinned
body is pale gray to dark brown with a row of orange or yellow spots down the
middle of its back. A black spot and a yellow spot occur on the eighth
abdominal segment.

Insects that feed in squares or bolls.

Boll weevil larva - The white-bodied, brown-headed, legless grub (Fig. A), up
to 13 mm long, feeds within squares or small bolls, destroying the contents.

Boll Weevil adult - About 8.5 mm long, the reddish-brown or gray adult weevil
(Fig. B) has a distinctive characteristic: a double-toothed spur on the inner
surface of each front leg. The female punctures squares and young bolls to
lay eggs. These nipple-like egg punctures are about 1 mm in diameter. Eggpunctured squares flare and fall to the ground where larval development is
completed.
Caterpillars - These moth larvae have 3 pairs of short legs near the head and
5 pairs of prolegs.
Bollworm complex - When fully grown, these larvae are green, reddish, or
brown with pale, longitudinal stripes and scattered, black spots. Early instars
are cream colored or yellowish-green with few markings. Larval instars vary
from 1.5 to 44 mm in length and have 5 pairs of prolegs. The contents of
squares or bolls may be completely consumed by bollworms. Cotton lint
development is reduced and rot organisms may gain entrance into the bolls
that are only partially damaged.

Fall armyworm - See Section B.1.b. of this key for description. This caterpillar
may bore into stems and bolls like the bollworm, but typically enters the boll at
the tip or at the base next to the stem.
Yellowstriped armyworm - See Section B.1.c. of this key for description. This
larva occasionally bores into squares or bolls but is rarely an economic
problem.

Submitted by
R.SUBASH