🎯 Main Objective of IPM
The goal is not to eliminate every pest, but to keep pest populations below the level where they cause economic damage.
Economic Threshold Level (ETL)
In Cotton IPM, the primary goal is to keep pest populations below the Economic Threshold Level. इसके लिए खेत की नियमित निगरानी, सांस्कृतिक उपाय, यांत्रिक नियंत्रण, जैविक नियंत्रण, botanical products और आवश्यकता पड़ने पर targeted chemical control को एक साथ अपनाया जाता है।
🐛 Major Pests in Zone 1B
Correct pest identification is the first and most important step in an IPM decision.
🔍 Identification and Damage of Major Pests
| Pest | Identification | Main Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Jassid | छोटे हरे Pest, पत्तियों की निचली सतह पर | Yellowing leaves, curling/burning of margins |
| Whitefly | छोटे सफेद उड़ने वाले Pest | Sap sucking, honeydew and sooty mould |
| Thrips | बहुत छोटे पीले/भूरे Pest | Silvery patches on leaves |
| Aphid | Small green/black colonies | Curling and distortion of young leaves |
| Mealybug | White cottony masses | Sap sucking on stems and branches |
| Pink Bollworm | Small pink larva | Damage inside flowers and bolls |
| Helicoverpa | Large caterpillar | Damage to squares, flowers and bolls |
| Spotted Bollworm | Small caterpillar | Holes in squares and bolls |
| Spodoptera | Large striped caterpillar | Defoliation |
📊 ETL — When Should You Spray?
Routine insecticide spraying should not be done before the ETL is reached.
Do not spray simply according to a calendar. Make decisions based on pest population, symptoms and ETL.
| Pest | ETL / Decision Indicator |
|---|---|
| Jassid | >2 jassids/leaf + curling/crinkling और marginal yellowing |
| Whitefly | लगभग >10 adults/plant; निर्धारित sampling में 50% से अधिक plants प्रभावित |
| Thrips | >10 thrips/leaf या स्पष्ट silvery patches |
| Aphid | >10% plants प्रभावित |
| Spodoptera | >1 egg mass/skeletonized leaf/10 plants या >5 solitary larvae/plant |
| Helicoverpa / Bollworms | >5% damaged fruiting bodies या लगभग 1 larva/plant |
| Pink Bollworm | >8 moths/trap/night लगातार 3 nights या >10% infested flowers/bolls with live larvae |
🔎 How to Monitor the Field?
Conduct field scouting at least once a week and increase observations according to the crop stage.
🌿 Plant Parts
Carefully inspect upper, middle and lower leaves, squares, flowers and green bolls.
🪲 Sucking Pests
Record jassid, whitefly adults/nymphs, thrips and aphid colony counts.
🦋 Bollworms
Check eggs, larvae, damaged squares, flowers and bolls.
🕸️ Beneficials
Also record the presence of ladybird beetles, Chrysoperla, spiders and parasitoids.
📈 Record Keeping
Record the date, pest count, crop stage and management decision for every scouting visit.
🦋 PBW Special
For pink bollworm, pheromone traps along with green-boll sampling are useful.
🦋 Pink Bollworm Management
In Zone 1B, continuous integrated management from pre-season through crop termination is important for PBW management.
🌾 Cultural & Preventive Control
Good agronomic practices help reduce pest pressure from the beginning.
Do not allow weeds, volunteer cotton or infested plant material to remain in the field.
- Destroy crop residues.
- Remove volunteer cotton plants.
- Keep weeds under control.
Continuous cotton-cotton cropping can increase pest pressure.
- Adopt suitable crop rotation according to local recommendations.
- Avoid an unnecessarily long continuous cotton cycle.
According to local recommendations, intercrops and trap crops can support beneficial organisms and help with pest management.
- Cowpea
- Maize / Bajra / Sorghum
- Green gram / Black gram
- Marigold / Castor
Excessive vegetative growth can increase pest problems.
- Avoid excessive nitrogen.
- Maintain balanced crop canopy and irrigation.
- Field condition के अनुसार timely management करें।
🕷️ Biological Control
Conserving beneficial insects and spiders is a core IPM strategy.
🌿 Neem / Botanical Management
During the early crop stage, botanical options may be preferred when appropriate.
Cotton IPM modules में neem-based products / Azadirachtin का उपयोग sucking pests और PBW management के लिए बताया गया है। Commercial formulation की concentration अलग हो सकती है, इसलिए हमेशा product label और स्थानीय कृषि recommendation के अनुसार dose तय करें।
🪲 Jassid & Whitefly Management
Inspect the underside of leaves for jassids. Pay special attention to yellowing, curling and crinkling symptoms.
- Conduct regular monitoring.
- Remove weeds.
- Avoid excessive nitrogen.
- Conserve beneficial insects.
- Consider a registered insecticide only after the ETL is crossed.
Check adults along with nymphs and crop condition. Watch for honeydew and sooty mould.
- Avoid unnecessary sprays.
- Excessive nitrogen न दें।
- Control weeds and volunteer plants.
- Conserve beneficial predators.
- After ETL, choose a targeted, label-approved option.
🦋 Bollworm Management
For Helicoverpa and other bollworms, monitor eggs, larvae and damaged fruiting bodies together.
- Pheromone traps
- Egg और larval scouting
- Damaged squares / flowers / bolls की जांच
- Bird perches
- Trap crops / intercrops
- Neem / botanical options
- Biological control
- Selective insecticide after ETL
🛡️ Insecticide Resistance Management
❌ Avoid These Mistakes
- Automatic spraying every 7–10 days
- Repeated use of the same insecticide
- Mixing 2–3 insecticides without need
- Using a low dose
- Spraying before ETL
✅ Correct Approach
- Pest की सही Identification करें।
- Monitor until the ETL is reached.
- Rotate different IRAC modes of action.
- Do not repeatedly use the same mode of action.
- Follow the label-approved dose and local recommendations.
- Avoid unnecessary tank mixtures.