Cotton Whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) upsurge: a concern for cotton growers in Haryana
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58628/JAE-2521-111Keywords:
Outbreak, whitefly, Bemisia tabaci, survey, cotton, economic threshold (ET)Abstract
Survey on whitefly infestation in cotton were conducted across six districts of Haryana - Sirsa, Fatehabad, Hisar, Jind, Rohtak and Bhiwani from 2012 to 2015. A total of 618 farmer’s fields were examined in July, August and September each year, with fields selected randomly at an interval of 8-10 km. In 2012, whitefly population remained below economic threshold (ET) in July and August, exceeding ET in only 5% of fields during September. In contrast, 2013 recorded higher infestations, with populations above ET in 8%, 28%, and 44% of fields in July, August, and September, respectively. Similar trends were observed in 2014 and 2015, with particularly high infestations in August, affecting 43% and 56% of fields, respectively. Increased humidity and reduced temperatures as a result of rains in late June appeared to favor whitefly proliferation. Notably, rainfall events—97.3 mm in mid-June 2013, 76.6 mm in June 2014, and 161 mm in June 2015 could have been the reason for rapid build-up of whitefly populations from July onwards in these years.
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