The 14 entries in Laisha's encyclopedia that attack Cotton, grouped by type. Each page covers identification, life cycle, the conditions that favour it, action thresholds and integrated management.

Growing Cotton? The free Cotton grow guide covers the crop from sowing to harvest.

Insect pests

• Cotton aphid (melon aphid)Aphis gossypiiInsect · A small aphid, from pale yellow to almost black, that forms dense colonies under the leaves of cotton,…
• Cotton bollworm (Old World bollworm)Helicoverpa armigeraInsect · A moth whose caterpillars bore into the fruiting parts of cotton, chickpea, pigeon pea, tomato, maize and…
• Fall armywormSpodoptera frugiperdaInsect · Fall armyworm is a moth whose caterpillars eat into the funnel of young maize and other grasses, leaving…
• Onion thripsThrips tabaciInsect · A tiny thrips that rasps the surface of onion, garlic and leek leaves, leaving silvery streaks that reduce…
• Papaya mealybugParacoccus marginatusInsect · A small yellow mealybug covered in white wax that forms dense colonies on papaya, cassava, hibiscus, mulberry…
• Pink bollwormPectinophora gossypiellaInsect · A small moth whose pink-banded caterpillars live hidden inside cotton bolls, eating the seeds and staining…
• Pink hibiscus mealybugMaconellicoccus hirsutusInsect · A pink mealybug under a white waxy coat whose saliva is toxic to plants: new shoots twist and bunch, leaves…
• Silverleaf whitefly (Bemisia whitefly)Bemisia tabaciInsect · A tiny white sap-sucking insect that sits on the undersides of leaves of cotton, vegetables, cassava and…
• Tobacco cutworm (Asian armyworm)Spodoptera lituraInsect · A moth whose caterpillars hatch in clusters, skeletonise leaves together and then spread out to devour…

Mites

• Two-spotted spider mite (red spider mite)Tetranychus urticaeMite · A mite smaller than a pinhead that sucks the contents of leaf cells, leaving pale speckles, bronzed leaves…

Nematodes

• Root-knot nematodesMeloidogyne incognitaNematode · Root-knot nematodes are microscopic worms that enter roots and turn them into swollen, knotted galls, so…

Weeds

• Barnyard grassEchinochloa crus-galliWeed · Barnyard grass is the most damaging weed of rice in the world and a serious weed of maize, soybean, cotton…
• Palmer amaranthAmaranthus palmeriWeed · Palmer amaranth is a fast-growing pigweed that has become one of the most damaging and herbicide-resistant…
• Parthenium weed (congress grass)Parthenium hysterophorusWeed · An aggressive annual weed from the Americas with finely divided carrot-like leaves and many small white…