(GIST OF SCIENCE REPORTER) Pink Bollworm (PBW) Menace And project sanvardhan

(JULY-2024)

Pink Bollworm is considered possibly the most destructive pest on cotton worldwide.
It is native to India but is now found in nearly all the cotton-growing countries of the globe.
Description: The larvae have distinctive pink bands, and the larval stage, is the most destructive and identifiable stage. The adults are small moths about 3/8 inch long.

Adults lay eggs on cotton bolls; once hatched, the larvae burrow into the developing fruits (bolls) of cotton plants, eat the seeds and damage the fibres of the cotton.
The damage affects both the weight and quality of the harvested bolls containing the lint fibre and seeds inside, thus, reducing both the yield and quality.
When the larvae mature, they cut out the boll and drop to the ground and cocoon near the soil surface.
The larvae can also survive in the seed after the ginning process and if the seed is not fumigated, they will emerge from the stored seed the next spring.
Apart from cotton, they can also attack hibiscus and okra.

Purpose: Promote CREMIT technology in Punjab and Haryana.
Objective: Eco-friendly population control through "Insect Family Planning" by disrupting mating of PBW.
Mechanism: Uses synthetic sex pheromones to confuse male moths during mating season, reducing PBW incidence.