Growth and Development of the Pink Bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), on Bolls of Cotton Grown in Enriched Carbon Dioxide Atmospheres1

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Abstract
The pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders), was reared on the bolls of cotton plants grown in CO2-enriched (649 μl/liter) and ambient CO2, (371 μl/liter) chambers and in two open field plots, one with free-air CO2 enrichment (522 μl/liter) and one without enrichment (ambient CO2, 360 μl/liter). The effects of increased CO2 levels on growth and development were examined. There was no difference in pupal weights of pink bollworm raised on CO2-enriched cotton compared with those raised on ambient CO2 cotton (26.80 versus 26.64 mg, respectively). Also, there was no difference in developmental time (21-27 d). Analysis of percent seed damage by larvae showed no differences between CO2- enriched and ambient CO2 cotton. These results were attributed to the nutritional qualities of the seed remaining the same (specifically the carbon/nitrogen ratio) despite CO2 and photosynthetic changes in the plant.