Eco-friendly management of sucking pest complex of chilli, (Capsicum annuum L.)

Abstract

A field experiment was carried out on “Eco-friendly management of sucking pest complex of chilli, (Capsicum annuum L.)” during Rabi season of 2022-2023 at Central Experimental Station, Wakawali, Dr. Balasaheb Sawant Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth, Dapoli. Chemical pesticides are widely used in agriculture to protect crops from pests, but they also have negative impacts on the environment and human health. Whereas, Eco-friendly pest control methods are made from natural substances or microorganisms and are considered more sustainable and better alternative to chemical pesticides. During this experiment total six biopesticides were tested viz., Undi oil @ 5ml/lit, Soap nut Extract @ 80ml/lit, Neem seed kernel extract @ 50ml/lit, Neem oil @ 5ml/lit, Beauveria bassiana 2 x 108 cfu/g @ 4ml/lit and Verticillium lecanii 2x108 cfu/g @ 4ml/lit, respectively. All these biopesticides were tested against sucking pests of chilli i.e., whiteflies, thrips and aphids. The result regarding overall mean of the three sprays against whiteflies revealed that the treatment Verticillium lecanii 2x108 cfu/ml @ 4ml/lit was best treatment for management of whiteflies infesting chilli. In case of chilli thrips, treatment Beauveria bassiana 2x108 cfu/ml @ 4ml/lit gave effective control of the pest. Whereas, treatment Verticillium lecanii 2x108 cfu/g was found the best treatment for effective control of aphids infesting chilli.