CCRI urges cotton growers to monitor pest levels amid hot, dry weather

MULTAN, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 11th Jun, 2026) Central Cotton Research Institute (CCRI) warned that populations of key cotton insect pests were approaching economic threshold levels under prevailing hot and dry weather conditions, urging farmers to step up crop monitoring and adopt timely management measures to prevent yield losses.

CCRI Director Sabahat Hussain advised growers with crops aged one and a half to two months to install 10 yellow sticky traps per acre for whitefly monitoring, renewing the adhesive every 15 to 20 days. Where whitefly infestation crosses the economic threshold, she recommended application of Spirotetramat 125 ml with Bio Power 250 ml, or a Cyantraniliprole-Diafenthiuron mixture at 300 ml, or Flonicamid 80 grams, each per 100 litres of water per acre.

For pink bollworm management, she said 10 pheromone traps per acre should be installed, with one trap per five acres sufficient for monitoring purposes.

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Lure capsules must be replaced every 15 days for optimum effectiveness.

Field observations, she said, also show jassid and thrips populations nearing threshold levels. Dinotefuran at 100 grams per 100 litres of water is recommended for jassid control, while Spinetoram at 60 ml or Chlorfenapyr at 125 ml per 100 litres may be applied against thrips.

The director cautioned against unnecessary pesticide use, emphasizing that sprays should only be applied when pest populations exceed economic threshold levels. She advised that all spraying be done during morning or evening hours, strictly avoiding the midday heat, and called on farmers to adopt Integrated Pest Management practices and regular crop scouting for healthy growth and higher yields.