Middle-East Journal of Scientific Research 12 (9): 1216-1223, 2012 ISSN 1990-9233 © IDOSI Publications, 2012 DOI: 10.5829/idosi.mejsr.2012.12.9.1695 Corresponding Author: Sahayaraj Kitherian, Department of Zoology, St Xavier’s College, Crop Protection Research Centre, Palayamkottai 627 002, Tamil Nadu, India. Tel: + 91 462 4264376, Fax: +91 462 2561765. 1216 Survey of Reduviids in Cotton Agro-Ecosystem of Tamil Nadu, India Kalidas Subramanian and Sahayaraj Kitherian Department of Zoology, St Xavier’s College, Crop Protection Research Centre, Palayamkottai 627 002, Tamil Nadu, India Abstracts: Cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L. is grown as a key fibre crop in the world. Natural enemy’s complex like reduviid predators in cotton agro-ecosystems is not available in the literature. A study was undertaken to explore the diversity of reduviid predators in cotton plantation of seven southern district of Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Kanyakumari, Theni, Virudhunagar, Sivagangai and Madurai in Tamil Nadu, India, from April 2009 to March 2010. The study revealed the presence of nine species belonging to six genera. They were observed and six major pests in all the districts were recorded. Among the nine reduviids, Rhynocoris fuscipes population was higher than that of other reduviid predators. Reduviid population has been depending up on with the prey population such as Dysdercus cingulatus, Aphis gossypii and Helicoverpa armigera. Key words: Cotton India Reduviid predators Tamil Nadu Survey INTRODUCTION Copidosoma floridanum [30] and Trichogramma chilonis Reduviids are distributed in agroecosystems, semi- [34-38], pentatomidae [15, 39, 40] and coccinelids [41-43] arid zones, scrub jungles and borders of agro-ecosystems are worth recording. and they consume considerable numbers of preys [1-5]. The reduviid predators are found in cotton agro- Generalist reduviid predator is predominantly found in ecosystem and they are one of the important natural agro-ecosystems such as cotton [6-10], groundnut [4, 11), enemies on the cotton hemipteran and lepidopteran pests legumes and rice (12, 13), tea [14], cowpea [15], pegionpea [4, 8, 15, 16, 44]. The following reduviid species were [16-18], cabbage [19], millet [20], tropical and rain forest recorded in the agro-ecosystem, Rhynocoris marginatus, [21,22], forest [23-25], sun flower [26], cucumber [27] and Rhynocoris fuscipes, Rhynocoris longifrons, Catamiarus tobacco [28] world wide. brevipennis, Coranus sp, Irantha armipes, Rhynocoris Cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L. (Malvaceae), is one kumarii and Sycanus pyrrhomelas [4, 16, 18], Rhynocoris of the most commercially important fibre crops in the ventralis and Peirontis modesia [45], Rhynocoris world. It is a perennial semi-shrub grown as an annual christophi, Rhynocoris ibericus, Rhynocoris iracundus, crop in both tropical and warm temperate regions. Cotton Rhinocoris punctiventris and Rhynocoris rubricoxa production is adversely affected by many insect pests, [46, 47] and Rhynocoris rubricus [44] in world wide. which have been traditionally controlled by large However, no information is available about the reduviid quantities of insecticides. Although chemical insecticides predator’s complex in cotton agro-ecosystems except provide an excellent control, resistance in insect pests of the record in Georgia and the south-eastern USA cotton have been reported against many pesticides. This (http://www.tifton.uga.edu/lewis/Proj.HTM). This study enhances the use of increased amount of insecticides [29]. was undertaken to record the reduviid predator’s Many natural enemies are found in the cotton agro- population in Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Kanyakumari, ecosystem such as parasitoids and predators. For Theni, Virudhunagar, Sivagangai and Madurai in Tamil instance, the parasitoids of Cotesia marginiventris, Nadu, India, from April 2009 to March 2010. [31,32], Bemisia tabaci [33] and predators like, spiders