Zhen Li

Hainan Institute of Biotechnology, Haikou, 570206, Hainan, China
Author    Correspondence author
Field Crop, 2025, Vol. 8, No. 6   
Received: 25 Sep., 2025    Accepted: 06 Nov., 2025    Published: 26 Nov., 2025

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

The reliance on pesticides in cotton cultivation has long been closely linked to environmental degradation and pesticide resistance in pests, thus necessitating the exploration of sustainable alternatives for pest management. This study reviews current research on reducing pesticide use in cotton agro-ecosystems through biological control and associated planting strategies. It analyzes the main pests affecting cotton yield and quality, highlights the limitations of chemical control, and analyzes methods for natural pest control using biological agents such as Beauveria bassiana and Trichogramma wasps. Furthermore, it explores how associated planting can enhance biodiversity and pest control through ecological interactions, supplemented by field case studies from India, Africa, and Australia. By integrating these measures into the integrated pest management (IPM) framework, this study emphasizes their synergistic potential for achieving sustainable cotton production. The combination of biological control and associated planting can not only reduce pesticide dependence but also improve ecological resilience, farmer income, and social well-being, while calling for further research into large-scale implementation and supporting policy frameworks.

Cotton cultivation; Biological control; Companion planting; Integrated pest management; Sustainable agriculture