The comparison of species diversity and abundance of insect natural enemies in the domesticated species of cotton using the yellow pan trap method.

India is the world's largest cotton producer and the only country that grows all four cultivated cotton species. There have been very few studies on the diversity and abundance of natural enemies of cotton insect pests in these cultivated cotton species. Therefore, the current study (2016-2018) was conducted to assess the diversity and abundance of natural enemies that cultivated cotton species harbour.

Degree day-based model predicts pink bollworm phenology across geographical locations of subtropics and semi-arid tropics of India.

There is a global concern about the effects of climate change driven shifts in species phenology on crop pests. Using geographically and temporally extensive data set of moth trap catches and temperatures across the cotton growing states of India, we predicted the phenology of cotton pink bollworm Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders). Our approach was centered on growing degree days (GDD), a measure of thermal accumulation that provides a mechanistic link between climate change and species' phenology.

Evidence for population expansion of Cotton pink bollworm Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) in India.

Pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders) infestation on Bt cotton is a major concern to cotton production in India. The genetic diversity and phylogeographic structure of the insect in light of PBW resistance needs to be revisited. The objective of this study was to identify different haplotypes of pink bollworm and their distribution in India.

Widespread infestation of the exotic mealybug species, Phenacoccus solenopsis (Tinsley) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), on cotton in India.

A survey was conducted in 47 locations in nine cotton-growing states of India to identify the composition of mealybug species occurring on cotton. Results of the taxonomic study showed that two mealybug species, the solenopsis mealybug, Phenacoccus solenopsis (Tinsley), and the pink hibiscus mealybug, Maconellicoccus hirsutus (Green), were found to infest cotton plants from all nine cotton growing states of the country. However, P.