Activities within the grant and impact:
After Bt. cotton was adopted in India in 2002, the area under cultivation increased to 3.8 million hectares in 2006. Subsequently, farmers have reaped its benefits, and yield gains of 31 per cent, reduction in the number of pesticide sprays by 39 per cent, and an 88 per cent increase in profit per hectare have been reported.

However, with the reduction of insecticidal sprays, some secondary pests such as cotton mealy bug (Phenococcus sp.) have emerged as a serious threat to Bt. cotton in Punjab. During 2006, the pest was reported in Bhatinda district, causing damages to cotton crop in a limited area, but in 2007, it spread to the whole cotton belt of Punjab.

If the pests were left untreated, there was every possibility of total damage to cotton crop. Looking at the pest’s potential ability to cause economic damage, it was necessary to generate information on its biology, and develop management strategies for its control.

Since scanty information is available, the ongoing project involves the following:

	Studying the biology of the mealy bug on cotton and major non-crop hosts (weeds)
	Studying the relative preferences of the mealy bug to common cultivars recommended in Punjab
	Evaluating the new molecules for the management of the mealy bug
	Developing and disseminating non-chemical strategies for mealy bug management, including eradication of weeds, use of barrier crops, and mealy bug control through irrigation water
	Analysing new chemicals for their efficacy against mealy bug

The project is being implemented in four villages each in three districts, Muktsar, Bhatinda and Ferozepur. It should be able to validate the new IPM strategies for tackling the mealy bug problem confronting Bt. cotton in Punjab.

The project would be implemented in the villages adopted by the department of agriculture. Currently, farmers are spending anything between Rs500 to Rs4,000 per hectare to save their crop from mealy bug infestation. Proper mealy bug management can reduce pesticide use to a large extent. This can make a significant difference to profits received by farmers at the time of picking, both in terms of productivity, and in reducing the costs of production.