Abstract
Ornamental hosts and their significance in the management of cotton mealybug P. solenopsis were studied over two years. Twelve of the 24 documented ornamental hosts belonged to three families, viz. Asteraceae, Malvaceae and Euphorbiaceae. Higher number of ornamentals as off season hosts (9) outnumbering cotton season (3) at Central over North and South zones indicated the strong carryover of the pest at Central India. Helianthus debilis during cotton season, Vicoa indica during off season and Hibiscus rosa- sinensis and Withannia somnifera throughout the year are the preferential ornamental hosts with extreme severity. Role of roadside and backyard ornamentals in the spread of P. solenopsis was higher at South followed by North > Central zones. Removal and careful destruction of plants or plant parts of P. solenopsis infested ornamentals should be adopted for prevention of pest spread and to mitigate the loss to the crop of cotton.
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