Toxicity Assessment of Various Insecticides on Oxycarenus Hyalinipennis Costa (Lygaeidae: Hemiptera) in Laboratory Settings across Various Districts of Punjab, Pakistan

Cotton contributes 0.6% to the value added in GDP and 3.1% to the value added in the agriculture sector of Pakistan. The dusky cotton bug (DCB), Oxycarenus hyalinipennis (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae), is among the insect pest species of highest economic significance in cotton production in the country. Adults and nymphs feed on seeds and cotton bolls, affecting seed germination. The dusky cotton bug is a polyphagous insect that feeds on a variety of host plants. Its adults and nymphs typically feed on squares of the cotton plant, resulting in a pale yellow color of squares and subsequent shedding of infested squares. Insecticide resistance in cotton insect pests is an emerging threat to sustainable cotton production in Pakistan. A thorough understanding of resistance might be a valuable tool for implementing pest control approaches. In the present study, Clothianidin, Fipronil, Bifenthrin, Triazhophos, Deltamethrin, and Clothianidin + Imidacloprid insecticides were used in different cotton-growing districts of Punjab. Among all the insecticides used for controlling the DCB population, Clothianidin + Imidacloprid was found to be the most effective in all districts, while Deltamethrin was the least effective in District Khanewal, Bifenthrin in Dera Ghazi Khan, Rahim Yar Khan, and Vehari, and Clothainidin in Multan. Therefore, we recommend the use of a pesticide mixture (Clothianidin + Imidacloprid) as a beneficial strategy against the dusky cotton bug in various cotton-growing districts of Punjab.