Prediction of Pink Bollworm (Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders) Population Cycles in Cotton by Accumulating Thermal Units in the Agro-Climate of Faisalabad

Studies on forecasting population fluctuations of pink bollworm (PBW) of cotton, Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), were conducted on the basis of accumulation of degree-days (DD). Pheromone trap PBW moth catches per trap per night and the field infestation showed cyclic peaks at the intervals of 323 Celsius DD's. The predicted and observed moth population peaks largely conformed to three years of study. These results indicate that DD can help to detect periods of high risk for moth activity and thus can be used for a management of this pest throughout the crop season. Based on results, different factors responsible for PBW moth population peaks are discussed.