Comparative Crop Production and Protection Costs of Cotton Crop under Different Pest Management Strategies of Cotton Mealybug, Phenacoccus Solenopsis (Tinsley)

Abstract

The research work was conducted to understand the comparative crop production, protection costs, and parasitization efficiency of Aenasius bambawalei on Phenacoccus solenopsis under cotton cultivated crop. When 2^nd instar mealybugs were offered for parasitization, the sex ratio was male-biased under laboratory conditions. The parasitization rate was observed high on adult mealybugs compared with the 3^rd instar and no parasitization was observed on the 3^rd instar of mealybugs. Parasitization of mealybug was highest on cotton (36.34%) and the lowest on Trianthema portulacastrum (13.98%) compared with other host plants. The applying insecticides and biological control modules using the natural enemy’s field reservoir (NEFR) were observed on cotton crop, 2021. Mealybug parasitization was found highest on cotton (36.34%) and lowest on horse purslane (13.98%) compared with other host plants. The seasonal mean population of P. solenopsis, parasitized pest mummies, and predators were 27.40±0.6, and 19.10±0.20 per 10cm twig per plant, and 5.46±0.30 per plant, respectively in NEFR cotton. The mean population of A. bambawalei recorded on farmer’s cotton was 8.35±1.62, and in NEFR 15.75±1.54 parasitized mealybug mummies per 10 cm twig per plant. The Promuscidae unfasciativentris, hyperparasitoids population was 1.59 per plant twig with 18.38% parasitization of A. bambawalei on farmer’s field compared with 3.39 and 17.17 % on NEFR cotton crop. Economic analysis of different pest management strategies showed that the chemical control strategy of farmers gave more than double income compared to NEFR.