Pink bollworm

• The Pink Bollworm (PBW)is causing significant damage in northern states
• The Pink Bollworm (PBW) infestation has been common in the cotton belt of northern Rajasthan, Haryana and Southwestern Punjab since 2021.

ABOUT PINK BOLLWORM (PECTINOPHORA GOSSYPIELLA)

• Originally native to India, it is now recordedin nearly all the cotton-growing countries of the world.
• It is considered possibly the most destructive pest on cotton worldwide.
• The female moth lays eggs in a cotton boll, and when the larvae emerge from the eggs, they inflict damage through feeding.
  • The PBW larvae burrow into the developing fruits (bolls) of cotton plants, and the damage affects both the weight and quality of the harvested bolls containing the lint fibre and seeds inside.
  • Since cotton is used for both fiber and seed oil, the damage is twofold.
• As per experts, Bt cotton – which incorporates genes from a soil bacteria that code for proteins toxic to the American bollworm – has lost its efficacy against PBW.