The cost of cotton pest control in India *

Abstract

Cotton pest control in India has, until recently, relied almost entirely on a preventive chemical spray schedule. A recent survey has shown that the cost of such measures can be as high as one-third of the total cost of cultivation in the irrigated long-staple cottons. In the face of competition from man-made fibres these costs must be reduced. Quality standards of pesticides must be tightened and integrated systems of pest management should be more widely applied.