author(s)
Veeranna Daravath, Sudhanshu S Kasbe and Sampath Musapuri

abstract
The insect pest scenario in cotton crop has been very fragile possibly with the commercialization of Bt cotton, intensive monocropping, indiscriminate and continuous use of synthetic pesticides. Accordingly, insect pests which are minor, negligible or sporadic earlier became major and serious pests. The chafer beetle, Oxycetonia versicolor Fabricius, commonly known as flower chafer beetle belongs to family Scarabidae, Coleoptera, as a pest on cotton has been reported and documented for the first time from the Telangana and Southern parts of India. Infestation level of flower chafer beetle was 01-07 beetles / 10 plants. The adult beetles were found feeding on pollens, anthers and other reproductive parts inside the flowers and also on tender bolls. This beetle was also noticed on brinjal, sesamum, maize, sorghum and Parthenium hysterophorus. The present study pointed out that flower chafer beetle incidence and its host range is widening with a considerable intensity. This report indicates a forewarning signal that flower chafer beetle may attain a status of ‘major pest’ of cotton in coming years in Telangana and southern parts of India.