Incipient infestations and threat of pink bollworm Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders) on Bollgard-II cotton in the northern cotton-growing zone of India.

Pink Bollworm (PBW) incidence on Bollgard-II (BG II) cotton was not observed so far in North Zone of India. During 2018-19 cotton season, BG II cotton was found infested with Pink Bollworm at one location in Haryana and two locations in Punjab near cotton ginning and oil extraction units. Cotton seeds are being procured from the central and south India by many units where PBW has already acquired resistance against BG II hybrids. Bio-ecological and resistance monitoring studies of larvae collected from the infested location revealed absence of larval diapauses in surviving population and resistance levels equivalent to central/south zone populations. The threat perception of pink bollworm in north zone on BG II cotton due to transport of resistant larvae along with cotton seed is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]