DEVELOPMENT OF AN INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT APPROACH AGAINST MAJOR ARTHROPOD PESTS OF CAPSICUM

Abstract

Capsicum cultivation plays a crucial role in the agricultural economy of Bangladesh, but the infestation of major insect pests poses significant challenges to its productivity and sustainability. The primary objective of this study was to develop an effective Integrated Pest Management (IPM) package to combat major insect pests affecting capsicum. The study conducted between 2018 and 2022 encompassed four experiments. Initially, a field survey was conducted in Rajbari, Bogura, Sylhet, Kishoreganj and Manikganj districts in Bangladesh, focusing on intensive capsicum cultivation areas. Results showed that 36% of the surveyed areas experienced low pest infestation, 22.4% faced moderate infestation, and only 4.8% had severe infestation. Capsicum growers utilized diverse control measures, with 71.14% employing a combination of chemical and other methods, while a mere 5.77% practiced fully non-chemical approaches to combat pests such as thrips, aphids, fruit borers, mites, and whiteflies. The highest healthy fruit yield recorded was 24.38 tons ha -1 , and the maximum benefit-cost ratio (3.12) was observed in Capsicum Grower’s Practice (CGP)-8 (Combination of chemicals, bio-pesticide, mechanical, cultural and mulching materials). The second experiment aimed to screen potential capsicum varieties for their resistance to pests by employing different mulching materials. Among the four varieties tested, California Wonder demonstrated the best resistance to pests and yielded higher produce. Combining California Wonder variety with black polythene mulching showed superior performance in controlling pest infestations at various growth stages, leading to improved yields compared to other varieties and combinations. In the third experiment, eight treatments were tested, focusing on the entire growth period, infestation levels of whiteflies, aphids, thrips, fruit borers, and mites, healthy and infested leaves and fruits per plant, and yield-contributing characteristics. Treatment T 3 , involving Imidacloprid 20% SL @ 0.5 ml/L of water with a 7-day interval exhibited the best results. The lowest performance was observed in the controlled plots (T 8 ), followed by T 7 (field sanitation + pheromone trap). A comparison between two fields indicated that the farmer's field in Hemayetpur village, Singair upazila, Manikganj district, outperformed the experimental field at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka. The final experiment conducted in the fourth year aimed to develop an integrated management approach against major capsicum pests using six packages. Package P 2 (black polythene + field sanitation + pheromone trap + Spinosad-45% SC @ 0.4 ml/L of water with a 7-day interval) demonstrated the best performance in terms of insect pest incidence, yield and yield-contributing factors. The untreated controlled plots (P 6 ) exhibited the lowest performance. Overall, the study concludes that package P 2 , comprising black polythene, field sanitation, pheromone trap, and Spinosad-45% SC @ 0.4 ml/L of water, presents an effective integrated management approach against major pests infesting capsicum.