Studying the Sucking Insect Pests Community in Transgenic Bt Cotton

Cotton jassid, whitefly and thrips are important sucking insect pests in cotton fields in the Punjab, Pakistan. The seasonal dynamics of these pests were compared on transgenic Bt cotton line, "IR-FH-901" expressing Ciy1Ac insecticidal protein with its parent non-transgenic cotton cultivar, FH-901. There was no significant difference in population densities of theses pests in Bt and non-Bt cotton, when nothing was sprayed. However, insecticide application effectively controlled theses pests in both Bt and non-Bt cotton. In conclusion, there is no difference in transgenic Bt and non-Bt cotton for jassid, whitefly and thrips attack and application of suitable insecticide is required to theses pests on transgenic cotton. © 2010 Friends Science Publishers