Description

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Context:

After a year’s gap, the dreaded black thrips infestation has surfaced in the chilli crop once again around Ballari, a key growing region for the spices crop in Karnataka, and parts of Rayalaseema in Andhra Pradesh.

About Black thrips:

Pest Type	Invasive pest species.
First Reported in India	2015, on Papaya.
Feeding Behavior	Lacerates tender leaves and flowers before consuming tissues, impairing fruit formation.
Polyphagous Nature	These pests are not restricted to a single host, they feed on various plant species including agriculture, horticulture, and ornamental crops.
Key Crops Affected	Chilli, cotton, bell pepper, red and black grams, mango, watermelon, and more.
Impact on Crops	Causes shedding of flowers, stunting, fruit malformation, and fruit drop, leading to severe yield losses, particularly in chilli.
Geographical Spread in India	Widely distributed across Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Tamil Nadu.
Reasons for Upsurge	Lack of natural enemies for pest control, excessive use of chemical pesticides, and staggered plantings contribute to outbreaks.

What is Chilli?

Chilli is the dried ripe fruit of the genus Capsicum. Capsicum annuum is an annual sub –shrub, the flowers of which are borne singly and fruits usually pendent, which provide red peppers, cayenne, paprika and chillies and sweet pepper (bell pepper) a mild form with large inflated fruits.

Capsicum frutescence is a perennial chilly with small sized pods which are highly pungent. It is commonly known as ‘bird chilly’ and ‘Tabasco’.

About Chilli crops:

Variety	Region Grown	Color	Pungency	Harvesting Season
Birds Eye Chilli (Dhani)	Mizoram, Manipur	Blood red	Highly pungent	October to December
Byadagi (Kaddi)	Dharwad, Karnataka	Red	Less or no pungency	January to May
Ellachipur Sannam-S4	Amaravati District, Maharashtra	Reddish	Very hot	September to December
Guntur Sannam-S4	Guntur, Warangal, Khammam, Andhra Pradesh	Red, thick skin	Hot	December to May
Hindpur-S7	Hindpur, Andhra Pradesh	Red	Hot and highly pungent	December to March
Jwala	Kheda, Mehsana, South Gujarat	Light red	Highly pungent	September to December
Kanthari-White	Kerala, Tamil Nadu	Ivory white	Highly pungent	Homestead crop
Kashmir Chilli	Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, North India	Deep red, fleshy	Moderate	November to February
Madhya Pradesh G.T. Sannam	Indore, Malkapur, Chikli, Elachpur, Madhya Pradesh	Red	Pungent	January to March

Soil and vegetation:

Chilli is grown in many types of soils-sandy to heavy clay. A well-drained, fairly light fertile loam with a fair moisture holding capacity is ideal. The light soils produce better quality fruits than heavy soils. Chilli crop prefers a soil reaction ranging from pH 6–7.

Diseases:

Pest/Disease	Symptoms
Fruit Borer	Caterpillars eat leaves, then bore into fruits causing yield loss.
Mite	Nymphs and adults feed on leaves, causing cupping, defoliation, and yield loss up to 80%.
Aphid	Suck sap from leaves, secrete honeydew causing sooty mold, and transmit mosaic disease.
White Fly	Suck cell sap, causing black sooty mold and transmitting leaf curl diseases.
Powdery Mildew	White powdery growth on leaves, defoliation in severe cases.
Phytophthora Blight	Water-soaked lesions, defoliation, and fruit drop caused by Phytophthora capsici.
Thrips	Suck sap from foliage, causing leaf curling and flower drop.
Die Back/Fruit Rot	Dry branches, black spots on leaves and fruits, premature fruit drop.
Wilt/Damping Off	Water-soaked stem, shriveling, and death of seedlings.
Anthracnose	Black spots on leaves and fruits, premature fruit drop caused by fungi Colletotrichum spp..
Yellow Mosaic	Light green patches, stunted growth, and chlorotic ring spots.
Bacterial Leaf Spot	Yellow-green spots on young leaves, defoliation, and water-soaked spots on fruits.

READ ABOUT

Invasive Thrips Devastate Chilli Crops

Source:

Apnikheti

Vikaspedia

Wikipedia

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q.Black thrips, a significant pest affecting various crops, is primarily associated with which of the following?

Tomato
Banana
Rice
Cotton

Select the correct answer using the code below:

(a) 1 and 3 only

(b) 2 and 4 only

(d) 1, 3, and 4 only

Answer: d

Explanation:

Black thrips (Thrips tabaci) are a type of insect pest that affects various crops. It is known to infest:

Tomato - Black thrips are a pest in tomato crops, causing damage by feeding on plant tissues and transmitting plant viruses.

Rice - They also affect rice, during the early stages of crop growth, leading to reduced yields.

Cotton - Cotton plants are another key crop where black thrips can cause significant damage by feeding on plant sap and creating lesions.

However, banana is not associated with black thrips as a major pest. The other species of thrips may occasionally affect bananas, black thrips are not known to be a major pest for this crop.