Pheromone trap catches as a means of predicting damage by pink bollworm larvae in cotton

The male moth catches in gossyplure-baited traps were used to predict larval infestation of pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders), in cotton fields during 1988 and 1989. The mean moth catches per trap per night were positively correlated with percentage larval infestation. The moth counts in traps and larval infestation in green bolls increased with advance in reproductive stage of the cotton plants. A mean trap catch of 9–12 pink bollworm moths per night was associated with economically damaging infestation. It is, therefore, inferred that insecticidal sprays may be scheduled when 9–12 moths are captured per trap per night.