Spotted bollworm: Earias vitella Fabricius

Earias insulana (Boisduval)

(Insecta: Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Symptom of damage
Drying and drooping of terminal shoots during pre-flowering stage.
Shedding of squares and young bolls.
Flaring up of bracts during square and young boll formation stage.
Holes on bolls and rotting of bolls.

Drying - terminal shoots Bore holes Rotting Flared square

Identification of the pest: E. vittella

Larva - Brownish with white streaks dorsally and pale yellow ventrally.
Pupa - Brown and boat shaped.
Adult - Small buff colored.; forewings are pea green with a wedge shape white band from base to margins.

E. vittella - Larva E. vittella - Adult E. insulana - Larva E. insulana - Adult

Identification of the pest: E. insulana

Larva Brown with dorsum showing a white median longitudinal streak.
The last two thoracic segments and all the abdominal segments have two pairs of fleshy tubercles (finger
shaped processes) one dorsal and the other lateral.
Pupa - Brown and boat shaped.
Adult - Small buff colored. Forewings are uniformly silvery green.
 Cotton bollworm: Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner)
(Insecta: Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Symptoms of damage
Feeding injury to all fruiting structures with circular bore holes.
Larvae seen feeding by thrusting their heads inside and leaving the rest of the body outside.
Presence of granular faecal pellets outside the bore holes.
A single larva can damage 30-40 fruiting parts (square, flower, small and full bolls) .

Square/bud loss Flower loss Small boll loss Boll damage

Identification of the pest

Eggs - Spherical in shape and creamy white in color, present singly.
Larva - has color diversity from greenish to brown. It has lateral brown grey and white lines and pale bands .
Pupa - Brown in color, occurs in soil, leaf, pod and crop debris.
Moth - Light pale brownish yellow stout moth. Forewings are olive green to pale brown with a dark brown
circular spot in the centre. Hind wings are pale smoky white with a broad blackish outer margin.

Helicoverpa Eggs Full grown larva Pupa Moth

 Pink bollworm: Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders)
(Insecta: Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae)

Symptoms of damage
Larvae during feeding fold flower petals to form rosetted flower.
Feed inside on stamen and ovary of flower.
Bore small bolls and holes of entry plugged by excreta of larvae (unidentified boll damage).
The attacked flowers and immature bolls drop off.
Cut developing lint inside boll to reach seeds for feeding.
They cut window holes (interlocular burrowing) and adjoin seeds forming "double seeds /winter sleep.
Discolored lint and burrowed seeds.

Rosette flower Feeding inside flower Feeding inside boll unopened/tight bolls

Identification of the pest

Eggs microscopic pale white in color on flower sepals/brackets.
Larva has color variation as young larva with creamy white and late instars pale to dark pink in color.
Dark and light alternating pink bands running the entire length.
Pupae small yellowish to red brown in color under plant debris near or inside moist soil .
Moth - small moth, forewings are brown or dull yellow olive grey with dark spots; hind wings margins are
deeply fringed.

Early stage larva Full grown larva Pupa Moth

 Armyworms: Spodoptera litura Fabricius
Spodoptera exigua (Hubner)
(Insecta: Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)
Symptoms of damage
Scrapping the epidermal layer, leaving the skeleton of leaf veins.
Larvae feed the leaves/foliage and fruiting parts by making small holes.
The damage is found in patches in the beginning, but spread widely if not controlled.
During severe attack, only the stem and side shoots remain in the field without any foliage/fruiting.

Gregarious feeding Larva feeding fruiting square Feeding on fruiting part skeleton of leaf veins

Identification of the pest

Egg - Laid in masses which appear golden brown.
Larva - Pale greenish with dark markings. Gregarious in the early stages.
Adult Forewings brown colour with wavy white marking.
Hindwings- white colour with a brown patch along the margin.
Spodoptera litura

Egg mass Full grown larva Pupae Moth

Spodoptera exigua

Egg mass Full grown larva Pupae Moth