take maximum of 2 pickings and
then even if there are green bolls
the crop is uprooted that makes
the duration less than 150 days
and hence escapes pink bollworm,”
informs Dr Mayee adding, “But
when cotton is planted late after the
harvest of wheat, let us say, after
15th May, cotton crop gets heavy
damage of white flies both as vector
and pest because of prevailing dry
conditions July-August in Northern
India.”
Timely rains play an important
role in containing attack of white
flies. Particularly in the Central/
Southern cotton growing zones, the
pink bollworm damage could range
from 10-40 percent depending
upon the time of sowing. Early crop
on the onset of monsoon or the one
sown with irrigation in May escapes
the damage .The other culprit is
protective irrigation in rainfed areas
where the farmers like to extend the
crop artificially by giving irrigation
at the end of second/third picking
around November-December. The
crop extended beyond December is
sure to get attack of PBW because
the conditions after September
cessation of rainfall with cool
nights and high day temp are
most congenial for the initiation
of the attack so in entire rainfed
cotton this pest is fairly serious but
damage vary year to year based on
environmental conditions suitable
for attack
The war has to be won!
An all-out multi-level campaign has
been launched on a war footing on
the dreaded pink boll worm attack
that has been causing a havoc to Bt
cotton crop across India.
To overcome this problem,
the union government has
recommended a unique RIB
concept (Refugia In Bag) wherein
25 grams of non-Bt cotton seed
is mixed with 450 grams of Bt
cotton seeds. This new RIB system
make farmers plant non-Bt plants
compulsorily as seeds are mixed
inside bag. Such non-Bt plants can
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