Off-season survival of mealy bug and its impact on succeeding cotton crop

Mealy bug, Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley, a newly introduced pest has appeared on cotton in a devastating manner in North India. Though overwintering of mealy bug was reported in stacks of infested cotton stalks, bark of trees near infested area, weed hosts that survived during winter of 2007–08 but it was maximum in stacks of infested cotton stalks. In the preceding cotton crop of 2008–09 near the source of previous infestation of 2007–08, the earliest initiation (April-May) and highest infestation (41%) was recorded around stacks of infested cotton stalks, though in general the infestation was less during 2008–09 as compared to 2007–08. The maximum distribution of mealy bug was found to parallel the source of infestation (39–62%) reducing to the perpendicular side (6–31%). The manipulation in source of overwintering (off-season survival) population significantly affects the infestation.