Cotton is susceptible to a wide range of insect pests. Among these pests cotton aphids are the most destructive insect of cotton plant. These are small soft bodied insects with a pair of cornicles, present on the 6th abdominal segment. Nymphs are light yellowish green, or greenish black or brownish. Adults are mostly wingless, but few winged forms can also be seen with thin transparent wings. Aphids have a complex life cycle, with both winged and wingless forms of adults and a great variety in colour. Aphids moult four times before reaching adulthood. With each moult they shed white skin, betraying their presence in the crop. The cotton aphid can be distinguished from other aphids by the colour of the two cornicles (siphunculi). These cornicles are always black, whatever the body colour, which can vary widely, from light yellow to light green, or even a green-black colour . This body colour depends on temperature, food source and the density of the population. Large individuals (up to 1.8 mm long are usually dark green to black, while aphids produced in overcrowded colonies at a high temperature can be much smaller (from 0.9 mm), and yellow or cream-coloured. Cotton aphids have red eyes and relatively short antennae.

Damage :Cotton aphid, also known as melon aphid, is a sap sucking insect that feeds across a very wide variety of host plants. cotton aphid may be troublesome during the seedling stage when its feeding may result in plants being stunted. At the boll-opening stage, the honeydew produced by the insect and the associated fungal moulds can foul the cotton lint. This lowers the quality of the crop and can cause harvesting difficulties. The earliest sign of a cotton aphid infestation is leaf yellowing, followed by puckering and downward curling of leaves as aphid numbers increase. Severe infestations can result in twisted stems and eventually stunted plants. The cotton aphid is an important vector for viral diseases. This aphid species can transmit more than 50 different viruses, including the cucumber mosaic virus. Nymphs and adults extract nutrients from the plant and disturb the balance of growth hormones. As a result, the plant’s growth is retarded giving rise to deformed leaves or, if the infestation occurs early enough in the season, the death of young plants. Retarded growth and defoliation reduce yield. Plant sap is rich in sugars, but has a low protein content. Aphids therefore need to extract large quantities of sap to get sufficient protein. The excess sugar is secreted in the form of honeydew, making the crop and its fruit sticky. Black fungal moulds grow on this honeydew, contaminating fruit and ornamental crops and rendering them unsuitable for market. At the same time, photosynthesis in the leaves is reduced, affecting production.

Farmers are worried about their crop. Every time they think that how can prevent their crop from these harmfull soft bodies. HPM’s Super Imida is the perfect solution for cotton aphids. It is an insecticide formulation in Suspension Concentrate. It is a systemic insecticide with translaminar activity and with contact & stomach action.Readily taken up by the plants and further distributed in all plant parts Chloro- nicotinyl insecticide with soil, seed and foliar use. For control of sucking insects including rice hoppers, aphids, thrips, white flies, termites, turf insects. It is commonly used on paddy, cotton, wheat, maize, potatoes, sugarcane, vegetables, fruits. It reduces surface runoff and provides uniform coverage over the foliages with enhanced penetration & stability. Super Imida is found to be very effective up to 10-14 days after application at recommended dosage.