Abstract:A population (Sub10) of cotton bollworm (CBW), Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner), which obtained by treating successively the 3rd instar larvae of a CBW colony for 10 generations using sublethal dose (LC25 dose) of emamectin benzoate, and the homologous control population (CP) were used to evaluate sublethal effects of the insecticide on the pest insect. The results indicated that the sublethal dose significantly inhibited growth of third instar larvae of CP with 61.24% of inhibition rate, but only 36.23% of inhibition rate of Sub10. The sublethal dose delayed the CBW growth and development, prolonged the pupa period, but had no effect on pupa weight, fecundity and egg hatching rate in both populations compared with their untreated populations. There were same sublethal effects in Sub10 compared with CP when reared without insecticide treatment. When treated with the sublethal dose in CP, values of net reproductive rate (R0), intrinsic rate of increase (rm) and finite rate of increase (λ) significantly decreased from 385.60, 0.21, and 1.21 to 91.86, 0.15, and 1.16, respectively, and mean generation time (T) and population doubling time (Dt) significantly increased from 28.24 days, and 3.29 days to 29.93 days, and 4.64 days, respectively, but in Sub10, only rm and T showed significant change. The results suggest that sublethal dose of emamectin benzoate brings negative effects on growth and develop- ment of H.armigera.