South-Western cotton belt of Indian Punjab is semi arid zone receiving 400 mm of annual rainfall.Since last decade introduction of Bt cotton has lead to significant reduction of bollworm complex but with an ever increasing attack of sucking pests esp. whitefly, jassid and since couple of years thrips too emerge in great number.On one side lack of human labor is prompting for the mechanical cultivation aimed at HDPS (high density planting of cotton exceeding 1 lac plants/ha) but is also loaded with heavy risk of high infestation of sucking pests and other issues which caused complete crop failure during 2015 leading worst ever productivity levels.Going from conventional planting of ~20000 plants/ha to > 1 lac/ha is possible only through narrow planting geometry but with a different micro climate, fertilizer requirements and spray schedules.Under such set of conditins what should be the way forward to tackle both issues (i.e labor shortage and pest menace) so as to enhance/sustain the productivity ? How can we get success under HDPS Culture under such challenging situations ?

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