Pink bollworm threat: Its management in the Indian cotton industry

Cotton is one of the leading cash crops cultivated all over the world and it provides livelihood to millions of people, due to its higher market value and productive capacity. But the pink bollworm (Pectinophora gossypiella (PBW) (Saunders), is one of the key pests among the bollworm complexes in the cotton eco-system, incurring huge damage directly through affecting boll as well as indirectly by heavy crop loss. As the chemical management method has been proven ineffective in many parts of the world due to its internal feeding behaviour, various eco-friendly and sustainable management practices have been undertaken to eradicate the pest upto the level of ETL, to safeguard the farmers from significant economic catastrophe.