Indian Journal of Entomology 83(2021) Online published Ref. No. e20158 DoI No.: 10.5958/0974-8172.2020.00220.5 POTENTIAL CONTROL AGENTS AGAINST RED COTTON BUG DYSDERCUS KOENIGII- A REVIEW MOHD HUSSAIN, NASSREEN F KACHO1*, SNIGDHA MOHAN2 AND ALTAF H MIR3 Department of Zoology, University of Ladakh, Ladakh 194101, UT Ladakh 1SKUAST-K, KVK-Kargil, Kargil 194103, UT Ladakh 2I.P. extension, Patparganj, Delhi 110092; 3Department of Zoology, University of Kashmir, Kashmir 190006, UT Jammu and Kashmir *Email: [email protected] (corresponding author) ABSTRACT Dysdercus Koenigii, also known as red cotton bug or cotton stainer is one of the important cotton pests. It occurs in countries like China, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, USA, and Florida, etc. It is a major pest of cotton and other malvaceous and non-malvaceous plants. It is being controlled with insecticides, but these are not safe and ecofriendly. This review highlights various chemical, botanical and biological control agents that have some potential as control agent for this pest. Key words: Dysdercus koenigii, chemical control, biological control, botanical insecticides, IPM Dysdercus spp. is commonly known as red cotton et al., 2013; Federici, 2007). This review enlists all bug (RCB) or cotton stainer. It belongs to the family the control agents including botanical insecticides and Pyrrhocoridae under Hemipteraand class insect. It is biological control agents which can be used in IPM of a well-known pest of cotton (Sprenkel, 2000), okra this pest. Google and Research gate searches were made (Tomas and Gajete, 2008), legumes and red gram (Singh using key words, and the research articles and books and Singh, 1978), Portia tree (Peter and Sivasothi, 1999) published in recognized journals and publishers were and orange (Hubbard, 1885). It is widely distributed taken into account. and known from India (Kapur, 1956; Mohan et al., 2010; Verma, 2012), Pakistan (Shah, 2014), Florida Insecticides (Mead, 1966), Brazil (Schaefer, 1998), Philippines Chemical insecticides are widely used in controlling (Encarnacion, 1970) and US (Hubbard, 1885). It is this pest. These are very cheap and easily available, known as cotton stainer and its name derived from the and therefore, it is also known as layman weapon. habit of staining cotton balls with indelible brownish- However, these are not ecofriendly, cause water, air yellow lint (Mead, 1966). It is a sap sucking pest which and soil pollution, kills natural enemies and affect sucks the sap of the plant. In India, it is found in Gujarat, health of human and other animals (Mahmood et al., Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu 2016; Mohapatra et al., 1995; Özkara, et al., 2016). (Kapur, 1956). There are two species of Dysdercus (D. A good number of researches have been done on the koenigii and D. cingulatus) which cause loss in cotton. effect of chemicals on the Dysdercus spp. Sehgal and This insect pest is hemimetabolous, life cycle consists Maheshwari (1974) studied the effect of different of egg, five nymphal stages and adult. Both nymph and concentrations of tetra ethylene pentamine (TEPA) on adults damage the palnts, and in cotton, these prefer D. koenigii and observed 100% sterility with a minimum to feed on the seed within developing bolls leaving dose of 0.5µg/ nymph in the third and fourth instar. a stain on lint. Feeding by puncturing flower buds Ahmad (1979) reported that D. cingulatus developed or young bolls causes a reduction in size or the boll resistance to the chemical insecticide like HMAC may abort and drop to the ground. This results in the {1,6-Hexamethylene bis (1-aziridine carboxamide)} reduction of cotton plants’ market value. Farmers use a after 4th generation. Sinha (1990) revealed the effect wide range of insecticide to control this pest, but these of parathion-methyl on nymphs and adults. Rizwan- insecticides are not ecofriendly (Mahmood et al., 2016). Ul-Haq et al. (2006) noted that with the treatment of Use of botanical insecticides and biological control are endosulfan 35EC and deltaphose 350+ 10EC on the recommended as these are safe and ecofriendly (Kareru D. koenigii, the total haemocyte count significantly 2 Indian Journal of Entomology 83(2021) Online published Ref. No. e20158 increased (19123 and 18068 cells/ mm3, respectively) Prabhu and John (1975) were the first who had tested just after application; and it decreased (10531 and the effects of plant extract on the Dysdercus sp. (Table 11804 cells/ mm3, respectively) after 30 min and 2). They studied the effect of acetone extracts of five again (8603 cells/ mm3) after one hour of application plants on the newly moulted last and 5th instar and found compared to the normal (17000 cells/ mm3). In the case that there is a direct effect on the ovarian development. of differential haemocyte count, there was a decrease Azadirachtin is a very important plant extract, isolated in % of plasmatocytes, granulocytes, prohaemocytes, from neem plant A. indica which has been used to oenocytoids and spherulocytes, compared to the normal. control various types of pests for a long time. There It is also true in the case of penfluron (Prakash et al., is a direct effect of neem extract on the physiology 2007) and acephate and organophosphorus insecticides and development of D. koenigii. This phytochemical (Qamar and Jamal, 2009). when applied to the red cotton bug causes prolonged development, wing deformities, unplasticisation of In a recent study, Sarwar et al. (2018) evaluated the wing lobes, development of wingless adult and larval effects of insecticides viz. imidacloprid, deltamethrin, mortality (Koul, 1984; Schmutterer, 1990; Yousuf et al., lamdacyhalothrin, gammacyhalothrin and cyfluthirn 2013). Rao and Gujar (1995) evaluated the toxicity of on the total and differential populations of circulating two plant extracts (plumbagin and juglone) on the egg of haemocytes in adults of D. koenigii and found that D. koenigii and observed toxicity against different age chlorpyriphos was more effective and resulted in of eggs with LC50 ranging from 0.0044 to 0.0066% and significant alterations in total haemocyte counts and proved their use as ovicide in control. Artimicia annua differential haemocyte. Verma et al. (2012) studied oil is a very important botanical and has a direct effect effects on D. koenigii and found that all the chemicals on the development and reproduction of insects. Rao were significantly superior over control in reducing et al. (1999) found that it causes 100% mortality after incidence; and treatment with imidacloprid 0.007% 48 hr of its application @1.0µl/ nymph. It also caused proved to be the most effective followed by dimethoate nymphal- adult intermediate and deformities in adult 0.03% with two times application of 15 days intervals. forms. Therefore, A. annua oil has both insecticidal and Yousuf et al. (2012) studied the toxicity of chlorpyriphos insect growth regulator (IGR) properties. Chowdhury and λ-cyhalotrhin also proved that these are lethal at and Walia (2000) reported that turmeric constituents 0.0625% and 0.2%, respectively. Rafiq et al. (2014) (dibutyl curcumic-I), showed growth-inhibiting with 18 synthetic chemicals on the D. koenigii, found and insecticidal activity against D. koenigii nymph. that alphacypermethrin 5EC (pyrethroid) proved to be Nicotinyl is an important botanical, which has been most effective followed by deltamethrin 2.5EC (93.8%), used in insect pest control for a long time. Rizwan-ul- cypermetrin 10EC (78.7%) and lamdacyhalothrin Haq et al. (2005) had observed that the two nicotinyl 2.5 EC (70%) after 24 hr of treatment. Akhtar et al. insecticides acetamiprid 20% SL and imidacloprid (2016) and Saeed et al. (2016) studied the toxicity of 25WP have a direct effect on the haemocyte count of insecticides on D. koenigii and found that chlorpyriphos RCB; the total haemocyte count (THC) increased soon 40EC was highly toxic followed by profenophos and after the treatment of nicotinyl insecticides while after deltamethrin; whereas lufenuron, chlorfenapyr and half an hour THC decreased and again increased after methomyl 40SP showed less toxicity. These chemicals one hour. Kodandaram et al. (2008) tested anonin 1%, had been applied by two methods viz., flooding and imidacloprid 17.8%, karanjin 2%, achook 0.15% and foliar application methods, of which earlier method is econeem1%, and observed that anonin has high toxicity very effective. Jameel et al. (2017) studied the toxicity as seen by dry film method; in the seed dip method too of thiamethoxam (0.002, 0.004, 0.006 and 0.008%) in anonin has high toxicity. All these botanicals act as th laboratory condition on the 4 instar and proved that it insect growth regulators. is a potential control agent (Table 1). Sontakke et al. (2013) reported the effect of Botanicals Ailanthus excelsa on the related species of Dysdercus Botanicals are naturally occurring chemicals cingulatus and found 95% repellency. Colocasia extracted from plants. Azadirachta indica (neem) is esculenta is a herbaceous plant that contains tuber a common one used in controlling many household agglutinin (CEA), a mannose binding lectin, exhibiting and agricultural pests and have little or no side effects insecticidal property against many sap sucking insects on human and environment (Boadu et al., 2011; including related species of D. koenigii (Roy and Schmutterer, 1990; Raj and Toppo, 2015). Probably Das, 2015). Kayesth and Gupta (2016) studied the Potential control agents against red cotton bug Dysdercus koenigii- A review 3 Mohd Hussain et al. antifeedant and insecticidal property of three plant antioxidant properties. Gadewad and Pardeshi (2018) extract viz., Catharanthus roseus, Ocimum sanctum and reported the bioinsecticidal effect of S. acuta plant Lantana camara. They reported that after the 24 hours (methanol and ethyle acetate) extract on the D. koenigii. exposure, all these extracts affect the survival of insect; They reported that ethyl acetate extract showed high in comparison to Ocimum and Lantana, Catharanthus toxicity (LD50= 6.165 µg/gm) than methanol extract has more insecticidal property.