Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is an important cash crop, widely recognized as the “King of Fiber” and an essential component of human life across the globe. Over the past few decades, cotton production in Pakistan has declined due to several factors, including climate change, drought, and, most importantly severe infestations by insect pests. The high input cost of chemical control methods has further contributed to ecological disruption, destruction of natural enemies, and environmental hazards. Botanical extracts offer a comparatively safer alternative for the environment, human health, and the biodiversity of the ecosystem. Therefore, the present study was conducted to evaluate the performance of different botanicals against the pink bollworm in cotton crops. The results revealed that the highest reduction in infestation 57.2% after the first application was achieved with Neem (Azadirachta indica) extract, while the lowest reduction 34.95% was recorded with Safeda (Eucalyptus). Trooh (Citrullus colocynthis) and Akk (Calotropis gigantea) produced 48.32% and 41.13% reduction, respectively. After the second application, the infestation reduction percentages of Neem, Trooh, Akk, and Safeda were 62.7%, 55.63%, 49.5%, and 42.13%, respectively. A similar trend was observed in all treatments on the Koonj variety, though the level of reduction varied. In conclusion, Neem extract proved to be the most effective botanical against pink bollworm infestation, while the Koonj variety responded the best in terms of overall infestation reduction percentage.
Paryal et al. (Sat,) studied this question.