Endoparasitoid: Bracon Lefroyi (Dudgeon and Gough) of pink bollworm Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders) on Cotton Naik V. Chinna Babu1,*, Kranthi S., Gharade Shruti, Kumbhare Sujit, Nagrare V.S., Singh L. Roni Kumar2 1Division of Crop Protection, ICAR-Central Institute for Cotton Research, Nagpur, 440010 2Division of Entomology, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, 110012 *Email: chinnaenton@gmail.com
Online published on 27 July, 2018. Abstract Pink bollworm Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders) is a major insect pest of cotton in India. Neonates enter developing bolls and destroy seed as well as fibre forming tissue. Chemical control method is the dominant method against this pest. Excessive use of insecticides has resulted in tolerance in this pest against insecticides. Biocontrol agents are the key components of IPM that provide sound ecological foundation, while being safe. The present study on the endoparasitoid, Bracon lefroyi (Dudgeon and Gough) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) reveals observations on its incidence in Indian locations. It was observed that this parasitoid exerts control of the pink bollworm in central and north India. The % parasitization was more in Sriganganagar (74.65%) as compared to the other locations in 2015–2016. The incidence of the endoparasitoid was nil during 2014–2015 and 2013–2014 except Nagpur. Top Keywords Bracon lefroyi, endoparasitoid, Pectinophora gossypiella, biocontrol agent, central and north India, parasitization, Sriganganagar, Nagpur. Top |