Field validation of integrated pest management strategy in Bt cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) under farmers’ participatory mode in central India

A field study was carried out during rainy (kharif) season of 2022 to 2024 in Khandwa district, Madhya Pradesh to evaluate the performance of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in Bt cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) under farmers’ participatory mode. The experiment was conducted using a randomised complete block design (RCBD) having three treatments, viz. T1, Integrated Pest Management (IPM); T2, Farmers’ Practice (FP); and T3, Untreated Control (UC). IPM packages included timely sowing with refugia, border cropping, cowpea intercropping for natural enemy conservation, neem oil sprays (Azadirachtin 1500 ppm), need-based application of Flonicamid for sucking pests, SPLAT pheromone formulations for pink bollworm management, selective insecticides (spinetoram or emamectin benzoate), and crop termination with residue destruction. IPM fields were compared with Farmers’ Practice (FP) and Untreated Control (UC). Data were analysed using ANOVA under a mixed-effect model. IPM adoption significantly reduced pest infestations up to 81% over FP across major pests, accompanied by higher populations of beneficial insects. Pesticide sprays were reduced by 46.55% without yield penalty. Instead, seed cotton yield increased by 25.38%, and net returns improved by more than 56% over FP. IPM strategy proved highly effective in reducing major cotton pests, ecologically safer by enhancing natural enemy population, and significantly lowering pesticide use across three seasons along with high benefit-cost ratio. Scaling this validated strategy through farmer field schools and improved access to pheromone-based tools can support wider adoption in future throughout the country.