The pink bollworm has developed resistance to first-generation transgenic Bt cotton (Bollgard cotton) that expresses a single Bt gene in portions of India (Cry1Ac). In portions of Gujarat, India, Monsanto has conceded that this cultivar is inefficient against the pink bollworm pest. Insecticides are used to control infestations on vulnerable cotton. Once a crop has been harvested, the field is ploughed under as soon as possible to break the bollworm’s life cycle. The larvae are found in unharvested bolls, thus they are eliminated. To drown out any lingering bugs, the plants are ploughed into the ground and the fields are liberally irrigated. After harvest, some farmers burn the stubble. Bollworms that survive the winter in the field will re-infest the following season. Mating disruption, pesticides, and the release of sterile males that mate with females but do not fertilise their eggs are also used to manage bollworm populations.
How to control pink bollworm in cotton ?
