Management of chilli thrips and mites
Thrips and mites are important sucking pests of chilli that inflict yield loss of over 50 per cent in the event of serious infestation.
Unscrupulous use of chemical insecticides to control these pests leads to pest resurgence, secondary pest outbreak, destruction of natural enemies and environmental pollution, apart from pesticide residue related health hazards.
Chilli thrips and mites, characterisd by relatively short life cycles, can complete several generations on a crop.
Adults and nymphs of these insects suck sap from tender leaves and growing shoots. Affected leaves curl upwards and downwards resulting in damage called ‘chilli leaf curl.’
As a result of thrips infestation, leaves become smaller, thickened and brittle
Disease symptom
Mite infestation is a characterized by elongation of petiole of older leaves and clustering of tender leaves at the tip of branches. Consequent reduction in photosynthesis and plant growth causes severe yield loss.
An integrated pest management approach is the best strategy to combat the threat from these pests. Such efforts should harmoniously combine the following tactics.
Since attack by these pests peaks during summer season, planting of the crop should be adjusted such that the vegetative stage of the crop does not coincide with summer season as pre-flowering infestation would devastate the crop.
Solution
— Use organic pesticides to control the pests. Application of neem oil 5 per cent or neem oil + garlic emulsion 2 per cent may be done.
— Use tolerant varieties such as Bhaskar and Kiran.
— Soil application of phorate 10g at the rate of 1-1.5 kg per hectare before transplanting followed by spraying 500 ml of Malathion 50 EC or 500g Carbaryl 50 WP in 250 litres of water per hectare on foliage would effectively control these pests.
Sunny K. Oommen
Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics
College of Agriculture
Vellayani
Thiruvananthapuram
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