ABSTRACT
In cotton crop management it is important to carry out periodic scouting to evaluate the
degree of infestation with lepidopteran pests, which can be captured at the adult stage
with light traps and/or specific pheromones. The objective of this study was to try to
identify an association between Alabama argillacea adults captured in light traps and
eggs and larvae that infest the crop. A light trap was established in a cotton field at Sáenz
Peňa, Chaco, Argentina. Daily capture of A. argillacea adults in light traps was
determined, and periodic eggs and larvae counts of that species in plants of neighbour
fields were carried out. There is a positive association between the number of adults
captured and the presence of larvae in the crop the following week (r = 0.62 significant
at p =0.05). This suggests that the capture of adults could be useful means of alerting
farmers to scout their cotton to establish the degree of infestation in the crop and the
right timing for control decisions.

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