2024 Volume 47 Pages 57-67
Border plants serve as management tools based on secondary plants utilized within or bordering a primary crop to control pests and diseases. During flowering, these crops provide abundant nectar, pollen and shelter for resident parasitoids and predators. A field study was conducted during the Rabi season of 2021-2022 at the Spices Research Centre, BARI, Shibganj, Bogura, Bangladesh (geographic coordinates 25.0167° N, 89.3167° E) to investigate the effect of border crop on the management of thrips-mite complex and the activity of natural enemy of chilli. Among different treatments, it was found that chilli crop bordered by two rows of maize, with two interventions of spray (first spray with Azadirachtin at 1 ml per litre at 7 WAT and second spray with Diafenthiuron at 1 ml per litre at 9 WAT), recorded higher yield (11.90 t/ha) with the least leaf curl damage due to thrips (0.77 LCI) and mites (0.28 LCI) per plant at 13 WAT, and were significantly superior to all other treatments and standard check. Thus, chilli crop bordered by two rows of maize, with two interventions of spray (first spray with Azadirachtin at 1 ml per litre at 7 WAT and second spray with Diafenthiuron at 1 ml per litre at 9 WAT) may be recommended for effective management of thrips-mite complex in chilli.
