Red Cotton Bug, Dysdercus cingulatus is a pest of cotton which suck the growing parts of the plant and attracts the bacteria which shows red lint. Ultimately it declines the crop productivity.

1. Presented
by
Dr. Arun B. Sawarkar
E-content developed by Dr. Arun Sawarkar
BP Arts, SMA Science & KKC Commerce College,
Chalisgaon, Dist- Jalgaon (MS)
Pest of Cotton
Agricultural Pest
(Red Cotton Bug)

2. • Cotton is a natural plant fiber which grows around the seed of the cotton plant.
• The use of cotton has a long tradition in the clothing industry due to its desirable
characteristics.
• The major cotton producing countries are USA, China, India, Pakistan, Uzbekistan,
Turkey, Brazil, Greece, Argentina and Egypt.
• These countries contribute about 85% to the global cotton production.
• India is the largest producer of cotton in the world.
 Gossypium arboretum (Asiatic cotton)
 G. Herbaceum (Asiatic cotton)
 G. hirsutum (American cotton)
 G. barbadense (Egyptian cotton)
About Cotton (Gossypium)

3. • The total global potential loss due to pests is more than 80% in cotton production.
• More than 1326 species of insects have been reported attacking cotton in the
world. However, in India, only 162 species have been recorded, among which only
15 species may be called as major pests.
• In the cotton ecosystem, the introduction of Bt cotton has caused changes in
insect pest complex.
• The incidence of bollworm i.e. American bollworm, pink bollworm and spotted
bollworm is low on Bt cotton.
• However, Bt cotton does not provide effective control of tobacco caterpillar and
sucking pests as aphid, whitefly and mealy bug.

4.  Pectinophora gossypiella (Pink bollworm) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae)
 Earias insulana (Spotted bollworms) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)
 Amrasca devastans (Cotton jassid) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae)
 Dysdercus koenigii (Red Cotton bug) (Hemiptera: Pyrrochoridae)
 Dysdercus cingulatus (Red Cotton bug) (Hemiptera: Pyrrochoridae)
 Bemisia tabaci (Cotton whitefly) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae)
 Phycita infusella (Cotton budworm) (Lepidoptera: Pyralididae)
 Aphis gossypii (Cotton aphid) (Hemiptera: Aphididae)
Pest of Cotton

5. Cite as: O.P. Sharma, Bugwood.org
a) Systematic Position:
Class: Insecta
Order: Hemiptera
Family: Pyrrhocoridae
Genus: Dysdercus
Species: cingulatus
Pest of Cotton: Dysdercus cingulatus (Red cotton stainer)
b) Host plants
Cotton, Lady’s finger, Maize, Sorghum and
other Malvaceous plants.

6. c) Marks of Identification
 Nymph: They are red colour with black and
white dots.
 Adult:
 They are elongated, slender, crimson red
with white bands across the abdomen.
 Head is red with a white collar, abdomen is
black and forewings have two black dots.
 The membranous portion of their forewings,
antennae are black in colour.
 Both nymph and adults has piercing and
sucking mouthparts.
https://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/16511264

7. d) Life cycle
 In the spring, the bugs becomes active and lays about 100-
130 eggs in the soil or nearby the host plants.
 The eggs are spherical and bright yellow in colour, laid
singly or in small clusters.
 After an incubation period of 7-8 days, nymphs hatch and
start to feed on cotton plants.
 Freshly hatched nymphs are pale orange, later on turned
into red colour with black and white dots.
 There are 5 nymphal stages and development is completed
in 49 to 89 days.
 The female adult was larger than the male.
E (100-130)
N
(5)
A
7-8
Days
49-89
Days

8. e) Nature of damage
 Both adults and nymphs suck cell sap from leaves and green bolls of cotton
and stain the lint.
 The damaged tissues are colonized by microorganisms that cause boll rot
and discoloration.
 The bacterium Nematospora gossypii enters the site of injury and stains the
fibre.
 It cause boll abortion, premature opening and early shed of bolls.
 The seeds produced are smaller with reduced oil content and
lower germination rate. These seeds are not fit for sowing.
 A high infestation can cause a severe loss in quality due
to the stained lint.

9. f) Control measures
1. The pest can be controlled by spraying the crop by using 0.1% BHC,
0.02% endrin, 0.05% malathion, 0.1% DDT.
2. Dusting the crop with 10% BHC is also effective.
ii) Cultural methods
1. Remove alternative host plants and other wild plants of Malvaceae family.
2. Remove and destroy all standing cotton plants as soon as the cotton has been picked.
3. Deep ploughing to expose the buried eggs to sunlight and predators.
iii) Chemical methods
1. Hand picking and killing of insects in kerosinised water, if population is still small.
2. the infested leaves or bolls can be shaken in water.
3. Moistened cotton seeds should be hanged up at different places in the field where bugs
congregate, they may get killed in the kerosene water.
i) Mechanical methods

10. E-content developed by Dr. Arun Sawarkar
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