Pink bollworm

Why in news?

• Pink bollworm (PBW) infestation is seen spelling trouble for cotton growers in the Northern States of Punjab and Haryana.

About Pink bollworm:

• It is an insect known for being a pest in cotton farming.
• The pink bollworm is native to Asia, but has become an invasive species in most of the world’s cotton-growing regions.
• The female moth lays eggs in a cotton boll, and when the larvae emerge from the eggs, they inflict damage through feeding.
• Since cotton is used for both fiber and seed oil, the damage is twofold.
• Their disruption of the protective tissue around the boll is a portal of entry for other insects and fungi.
• Infestation on susceptible cotton is generally controlled with insecticides.
• Populations of bollworms are also controlled with mating disruption, chemicals, and releases of sterile males which mate with the females but fail to fertilize their eggs.

PRACTICE QUESTION:

Pink bollworm is a destructive pests, generally affecting:

(a) Wheat

(b) Cotton

(c) Sugarcane

(d) Coconut

                       B

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