SOME NEW APPROACHES FOR REDUCING THE INFESTATION OF COTTON BOLLWORMS

Abstract

Pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella (Saund.) causes tremendous economic losses to the natural economy. Therefore, it is worth to find out an effective strategy for controlling bollworms. Sex pheromone of pink bollworms could be applied, in this concern, as an element of an integrated pest management (IPM) system against this insect. It was applied early in the season followed by application of pesticide (Curacron) alternatively. Therefore, field experiments were carried out at the Experimental Farm, Faculty of Agriculture, Saba Basha, Alex. University, •Egypt during two successive growing cotton seasons 1999 and 2000 to evaluate the effect of three commercially registered, slow release pink bollworm pheromone formulations (Rope-PBW, Selibate and Last-flight) and/or insecticide in special regimes against pink bollworm, will be the optimum solution for pest control. From the above mentioned studies the findings could be summarized as follows:

I. Evaluation of pheromone disrupting technique as a tool for suppressing pink bollworm (Pectinophora gossypiella Saund.) infestation. 1. Green bolls infestation due to pink bollworm:

a. In the whole pheromone/insecticide (alternatively) treatments, the green bolls infestations were lower than 3 larvae/100 bolls, up to nearly the znd week of August.