The secondary  types of pests infesting cotton plants in Iraq

أنواع الآفات الثانوية التي تصيب نباتات القطن في العراق 

ا.د. مرتضى جليل المعموري

رئيس قسم الجغرافية التطبيقية / كلية التربية للعلوم الانسانية / جامعة كربلاء

1- Agrotis yplilon:  

This moth is covered with dark brown spots, and the grubs are clay coloured with three dark stripes on their backs. The female lays her eggs in the soil individually in sets of 300 or even more, leading to 3 to 4 generations per year. The grubs bite the stems of seedlings of the cotton plants causing them to droop and then die                                                     

Photograph of Agrotis yplilon.

2- Crentiades pallidos: 

 Small-sized insect pale green in colour. The insect nymphs move rapidly across the leaves and feed on the juices of the floral buds and leaf veins, which results in both dropping off.

Photograph of Crentiades pallidos.

3- Tetraychus telarius: This very small insect is oval shaped, light red or dark orange and has two black spots on its back. It makes a yellow mosaic on the upper leaf surface, after sucking plant juices from the veins, weakens the plant and hence stunts growth.

Photograph of Tetraychus telarius.

4- Spodoptera littoralis: 

 Is a polyphagous adult moth up to 2 cm long with a wingspan of approximately 4 cm. The fully developed larvae are 35 to 45 mm long, with their colour varying from grey to reddish or yellowish. Their eggs are laid in batches and are covered with orange-brown hairs.

Photograph of Spodoptera littoralis.