Ovipositional response ofHelicoverpa armigera to different cotton genotypes

The ovipositional response ofHelicoverpa armigera (Hübner) to different cotton varieties and species was studied under caged conditions. Maximum oviposition (51.6 eggs/female) was recorded on LH 900, a variety ofGossypium hirsutum, and minimum oviposition (3.0 eggs/female) on G 27, a variety ofG. arboreum. Oviposition, in general, was low (3 to 6.5 eggs/female) onarboreum cottons as compared withhirsutum. Of the number of factors found to affect the oviposition ofH. armigera, the trichome length on the upper surface of the leaf, rather than the density, was positively correlated (r = 0.687*). Among different months in the cropping season, oviposition was maximum (552.7) during April. Oviposition was higher on leaves than on other plant parts.