*Present Address: Crop Protection Division, Central Rice Research Institute, Cuttack-753 006 <vanis102@gmail.com>
Department of Agricultural Entomology, T.N.A.U., Coimbatore-, 641 003, India.
A total of thirty four Bt and nine non- Bt cotton varieties were observed under field condition for their susceptibility to sucking pest complex. Most of the varieties were found to be highly susceptible to one or more of the sucking pests on both 35 and 50 days after sowing warranting control measures at early crop growth stage. There was no significant difference in all the four sucking pest population observed among Bt and non-Bt cotton varieties. Among the sucking pests, aphids recorded very high population at both 35 DAS and 50 DAS. There was increase in leaf hopper, thrips and aphid population on 50 DAS on both Bt and non-Bt cotton varieties while a considerable reduction on white fly population was observed compared to 35 DAS.
Bt and non-Bt cotton, Gossypium hirsutum, Sucking pests
