Anna M. Malgwi (Ph.d)

Cylas Puncticollis Boh. : a New Pest of Cotton: Bioecology, Damage Potential and Control Anna M. Malgwi (Ph.d)

Cylas puncticollis Boh. (Coleoptera: Brentidae) is a well known pest of Ipomoea batatas which looked similar with Anthonomus grandis Boh. nicked named "the 10 billion dollar bug" in USA. Its presence on cotton, especially where cotton industry is located as a 'hot spot' zone poses serious threat to cotton production as a new pest. It nibbles in the bracts, buds, flowers and developing bolls which becomes flared, drops and young bolls becomes 'mummified'. Cylas diapauses and hibernates as adults in injured ratoon cotton stem on farms. Other hibernating nitches include thrash, debris, cracked soil, alternate host plants and weeds. Its damage potential ranges from 18-35% on cotton and 96% on I. batatas. This heavy damage makes C. puncticollis an important economic pest of cotton which effectively could reduce the yield of seed cotton. Screening of cotton varieties, cultural controls/cotton 'close-season', spraying with systemic insecticides or Integrated Pest Management are suggested here as the best control methods for this pest. This work will go a long way to benefit Research Institutes, Tertiary Institutions, Cotton Industries and Cotton farmers.