Question

Given below are two statements:
Statement (I): Red cotton bug can be controlled by applying insecticide in soil.
Statement (II): Red cotton bug lays eggs in/on soil. In light of the above statements, choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below:

• A. Both Statement (I) and Statement (II) are correct.
• B. Both Statement (I) and Statement (II) are incorrect.
• C. Statement (I) is correct but Statement (II) is incorrect.
• D. Statement (I) is incorrect but Statement (II) is correct.

Hint:

Red cotton bug: Control with plant sprays, not soil; eggs are laid on plants, not in soil.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Both statements about the red cotton bug ({Pyrrhocoris apterus) are incorrect:
- Statement (I) is incorrect: Red cotton bugs primarily feed on cotton bolls, seeds, and plant tissues, and their control involves applying insecticides directly to the plants (e.g., foliar sprays) rather than the soil. Soil-applied insecticides are not effective, as the bugs do not primarily reside or feed in the soil.
- Statement (II) is incorrect: Red cotton bugs lay eggs on plant surfaces, such as in crevices of cotton bolls, stems, or leaves, not in or on the soil. Their life cycle is associated with the cotton plant, not the soil environment. Thus, option (2) is correct, as both statements are false.

Answer 2

Applying general pest-control logic:
Red cotton bug is a plant-surface pest, it feeds by piercing developing bolls and seeds while sitting on the plant itself, not underground. Because the insect's feeding site is entirely above ground, insecticide applied to the soil rarely reaches the pest in an effective concentration, effective management instead relies on spraying the plant canopy and bolls directly. This makes Statement (I), which recommends soil-applied insecticide as the control method, incorrect. For reproduction, the bug's life cycle is tied to the cotton plant rather than the surrounding soil, adults congregate and mate on bolls and stems, and eggs are laid in sheltered spots on the plant (in boll cracks, under bracts, or amid plant debris on the crop) rather than being deposited directly into or onto open soil. Since neither the control method nor the egg-laying site described matches the actual above-plant biology of the pest, both Statement (I) and Statement (II) are incorrect, confirming option (2).