Impact of Cotton Intercropping with Cowpea and Insecticides on Crops Characteristics and Infestation with Aphis gossypii and Pectinophora gossypiella

Abstract

The objective of the present study evaluates the effect of acetamiprid and profenofos to the two of the most important damage pests, Aphis gossypii (Glover Homoptera: Aphididae) and Pectinophora gossypiella (Saund. Lep.: Gelechiidae) on cotton plants intercropping with three cultivars of cowpea (qaha, kafr elsheikh and kareem) during successive seasons 2021 and 2022. The field experiments were
performed at the farm of Sakha Agricultural Research Station, Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate, Egypt. The main plots were devoted for three components. The results recorded that all crop characteristics and the infestation levels by insect pests of cotton were difference when intercropping with cow pea varieties as compared with solid cotton. The percentage of reduction was higher when cotton is intercropping with cowpea varieties kareem compared with varieties Qaha and kafr elsheikh. Yield and yield components of were also significantly affected by the three components of cowpea cultivars. The yield of cotton with cowpea under first treatment components exceeded that with second treatment in the first and second seasons. The average reduction percentage in aphids population thought in the first and second seasons were had significantly different with 92.59 and 91.01 reduction percentage when using profenofos sprays applied to cotton+ cowpea varieties qaha compared to 82.21 and 84.90 reduction percentage for acetamiprid, respectively. Application of profenofos on P. gossypiella showed the highest reduction percentage was 85.06 and 79.27 % during 2021 and 2022 when used to cotton + cowpea varieties kareem and cultivars kafr elsheikh, respectively. While acetamiprid caused leas toxic was 48.01 and 52.55 reduction percentage during 1st and 2nd seasons when applied to cotton + cowpea cultivars kareem respectively. Found significantly different between of the two insecticides during studies seasons. The results, also indicated that yields and the infestation levels by insect pests of all cowpea cultivars were decreased under intercropping qaha cultivar surpassed the other cultivars (kafr
elsheikh and kareem) in all treats except plant height but infestation levels was decreased. The first treatment components recorded the highest seed yield / fad and were significantly superior to those of second treatments.