Artificial Methods for Infesting Transgenic Cottons with Certain Lepidoptera

This study was conducted on Bollgard, Bollgard II, WideStrike, and non Bt cottons by using field (clip) cages.  During the cotton season plants were infested with beet armyworm egg-masses, neonate and 1^st instars larvae, pupae, and adults (average 3 times).  A week after artificial infestations (eggs and larvae) were assessed insect mortality and plant damage by visual observations.  Ground reflectance spectra were obtained from the test plots shortly before harvest by remote sensing where adults had been released.  Both Bt II varieties had higher NIR reflectance than Bt and non-Bt cottons where adults released.  Bt cotton plants had less damage than non-Bt cotton.  After one week from release pupal stage was 100% destroyed with predators, a large percentage of neonate larva was destroyed by heat, eggs by predators and heat.