Field Efficacy of Novel Insecticide Afidopyropen against Leafhopper, Amrasca biguttula biguttula and Whitefly, Bemisia tabaci in Cotton

Field trials were conducted to assess the efficacy of the novel insecticide afidopyropen against major sucking pests of cotton, Amrasca biguttula biguttula (Ishida) and Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) during the 2020 and 2021 cropping seasons at Hisar (Haryana). Two foliar sprays of each treatment, including standard checks, were applied, and observations on target pests were recorded at 1, 3, 5, 7, and 10 days after each spray. Afidopyropen @ 50 g a.i./ha significantly reduced the target pest populations in both years, recording the lowest leafhopper (0.80 and 0.86 nymphs/leaf) and whitefly (21.13 and 2.88 adults/leaf) densities, along with the highest seed cotton yields (26.86 and 22.29 q/ha) in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Populations of natural enemies, including coccinellids and spiders, were not significantly affected, and no phytotoxic symptoms were observed on cotton. These findings reveal that afidopyropen is a highly effective, selective, and crop-safe insecticide suitable for inclusion in integrated pest management programs for sustainable cotton cultivation.