(for details on pro-tray: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZTs6kajCFc)

Mealybugs are sap-drinking insects that can cause a great deal of damage in a short amount of time. They produce honeydew, which attracts ants and encourages the growth of fungus called black mold. Sucking pests pose serious problem to chilli at all growth stages and also borers namely Helicoverpa armigera, Spodoptera litura and S. exigua at the time of fruiting.

Nursery: Raise the seedlings in well protected poly house or nursery beds covered by insect proof (40 mesh) curtain. A day before transplanting the seedlings spray imidacloprid 200SL @ 0.5 ml/L+ 0.5 ml sticker.

The infested leaves develop crinkles and curl upwards. Elongated petiole

Buds become brittle and drop down. Early stage, infestation leads to stunted growth and flower production, fruit set are arrested

Twenty days after transplanting, spray Fipronil 5 SC @ 1.0 ml/L + neem oil @ 2 ml/L, with sticker @ 1ml/L followed by diafenthiuron 50 WP @ 1g/L or chlorfenapyr 10 SC @ 2 ml/L at fortnightly interval.

Do not follow chilli and onion mixed crop

Aphids, mealybugs and scales are the most common sap sucking insects in the garden. They appear on plant parts in clusters and feed on the sweet sap by inserting a needle-like sucking tube into the plant and drawing out the juice. After the sap has been used by the insects, it is excreted as honeydew, which forms the base on which a black fungus grows. This fungus is known as sooty mould and its presence reduces photosynthesis and discolours affected fruit.

Honeydew is used as a food source by ants, which actively transport the insects (aphids, mealybugs and scales) and position them on the plant. Ants may spread sapsucker infestations between plants via underground tunnels.

Aphids can be removed from plants with a jet of water or sprayed with garlic and chilli sprays. Sprays with horticultural soap will desiccate and suffocate the insects and horticultural oil will smother the insects but these organic products should not be used when the weather is above 32°C as plant leaves can burn.

Aphids are especially attracted to mustard. You can plant these near more valuable plants as traps for the aphids.

Spray PNSPE (40 g/L) or Quinalphos 25EC (2.0 ml/L) or L-Cyhalothrin 5 EC @ 0.5ml/L. Avoid using L-Cyhalothrin very often

Downward curling and crinkling of leaves giving an inverted boat shaped appearance, elongation of Petiole i.e. rat tail symptom, stunted growth, on fruit scaring  is very common with reduced fruit size.

Spray pongamia soap @ 10 g/L or Wettable Sulphur 80 WP @ 3.0 g/L when the temperature is moderate to low.

In case of high temperature spray chlorfenapyr 10 SC @ 2 ml/L (controls thrips also) or Milbemectin 40 SP @ 0.75ml/L

Yellow Sticky traps – Whitefly are attracted to the color yellow so by hanging yellow sticky traps near your affected plants will help control their populations.  You need about one trap in every 3m x 3m area.

Young larvae feed on flower buds and young pod by making a circular hole. Later, the larvae feed on seeds.

Spray specific NPV@ 100 LE/acre in the evening as soon as young caterpillars (egg masses in spodoptera) of the borers are noticed. Mix 1% jaggery and sticker (0.5 ml/L) before spray. Collect and destroy the borer-infested fruits.

Note : NPV (Nucleopolyhedrovirus) belongs to a group of insect diseases called baculoviruses that infect and kill the larvae of moths and sawflies. They do not harm humans, wildlife or other insects. NPV can kill young larvae within 4 days of ingestion, and older larvae within 5-7 days, depending on dose and temperature.

Spray Indoxacarb 15.8 SC (1.0 ml/L) or Thiodicarb 75WP (1.0 g/L) or Emamectin Benzoate 5 SG (0.3 g/L) at 15 and 30 days after transplanting.

Small holes on leaves. Skeletonized leaves and the affected pods drop off or develop white color on drying.

(Egg masses and young caterpillars): Collect and destroy egg masses and gregarious larvae.

Spray indoxacarb 15.8EC @ 0.8 ml/L or Thiodicarb 75 WP @ 1 g/L

Cutworms are the larvae of several species of night-flying moths. Cutworms feed at night and will not generally be observed on plants or on the soil surface during the day.

Adopt poison baiting: Mix rice bran (10-12 kg/acre) with jaggery (gur) or molasses (2 kg) in the morning. Allow it to ferment till evening. In the evening, mix this with an insecticide like methomyl or thiodicarb (250 g) and broadcast in main plot. Cutworms get attracted, feed on the fermented poison bait and get killed. Baiting has to be repeated 2 or 3 times more if the incidence of the cut worm or armyworm is high.

Seed may rot or the seedlings may be killed before they emerge from the soil. Stem of young seedlings may also be attacked after emergence showing water soaking lesions and shriveling of stem which fall over and die.

Damping -off of seedlings: Drench seedlings with Captan 50 W (2.0 g/l) or Copper oxychloride 50 WP (2.0 g/l) or copper hydroxide (2.0 g/l) in nursery stage (15 days after sowing) and once before transplanting and once again two weeks after transplanting.

• White powdery coating appears mostly on the lower surface
• Sometimes the powdery coating can also be seen on the upper surface.
• Correspondingly on the upper surface yellow patches are seen
• Severe infection results in the drying and shedding of affected leaves.
• Powdery growth can also be seen on young fruits, and branches.
• Diseased fruits do not grow further and may drop down.

Spray Wettable Sulphur (2.0 g/l + 2.0 ml neem oil) (avoid sprays during hot period) or Tridemorph (1.0 ml/l) or Hexaconazole (1.0 ml/l) or Dinocap (1ml/l) or Flusilazole (0.3 ml/l) or Myclobutanil (1.0 g/l) or Tebuconazole + Trifloxystrobin 75 WG (0.7 g/l) or Propiconazole 25 EC (1.0 ml/l) or Difenconazole (0.5 ml/l) or Strobilurin (2.0 ml/l) or Neem oil emulsified (7.0-10 ml/l) at 10-15 days interval from the onset of the disease.

Caused by a water-borne fungus called Phytophthora capsici and is generally found in wet waterlogged areas. The fungus invades all plant parts causing the syndromes leaf blight, fruit rot and root rot. Plants suffering from this conditions often wilt and die very quickly.

Spray Mancozeb (2.0 g/l) or Copper oxychloride (3.0 g/l) or Bordeaux mixture (1%) or Copper hydroxide (2.0 g/l) or Fosetyl-Al (2.0 g/l) or Dimethomorph (2.0 g/l) or Mandipropamid (0.8 ml)combination of Pyraclostrobin + Metiram (2.0 g/l) or Mefenoxam + Copper hydroxide (2.0 g/l) or Metalaxyl 8% + Mancozeb. 64% (2.0 g/l) or Cymoxanil + Mencozeb (2.0 g/l) or Dimethmorph + Amitocctradin (2.0 ml/l).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Mj200tIe8w

Anthracnose disease has been reported to be a major constraint in chilli production in tropical subtropical countries causing huge losses. Symptoms are seen on leaf, stem and fruit. Small, circular spots on the skin of the fruit and expanded in the direction of long axis of the fruit. The fruits with many spots drop off prematurely resulting in heavy loss of yield. Fungus may also attack the fruit stalk and spread along the stem causing dieback symptoms.

Spray Carbendizim (1.0g/l) or Thiophanate methyl (1.0g/l) or Tricyclozole (0.6g/l) or comination of Tricyclozole +Mancozeb (2.0 g/l).

The leaf spot disease is seen both in nursery and main field. The disease causes loss due to defoliation and reduction in photosynthesis. The disease first manifests as small brownish spots on the leaves and graduallydevelops into the big circular grayish spots with whitish center. Later they form into large lesions due to coalescing of the spots. Infection on fruit stalk and calyx is also very common in severe cases.

Spray Carbendizim (1.0g/l) or Mancozeb (2.0g/l) or combination of Carbendazim+ Mancozeb (2.0g/l).

Drench seedlings with Copper oxychloride (3.0 g/l) 12days after sowing and repeat one day before transplanting. Spray Copper oxychloride (3.0 g/l) or Chlorothalonil (2.0g/l) or Mancozeb (2.0 g/l) or Propineb (2.0 g/l) or Metiram (2.0 g/l) or Pyraclostrobin + Metiram (2.0g/l) or Tebuconazole + Trifloxystrobin 75 WG (0.7 g/l) at 10-15 days interval or as and when required.

The first symptoms start with the wilting of the leaves. After a few days the entire plant will wilt with no leaf yellowing.

Drenching of seedling with Pseudomonas fluorescens

Leaf curl disease is transmitted by white flies ( Bemisia tabaci). The disease is characterised by puckering of leaf blade, and gradual reduction in the size. Diseased plants flower poorly with low fruit set.In case of leaf curl the disease is characterised by curling of the leaves, and thickening and swelling of veins. In advanced stages the whole plant appears bushy, with stunted growth and fewer flowers.

Uproot and destroy leaf curl infected plants as soon as noticed. Spray Denotefuran @ 1 g/L or fenazaquin @ 1 ml/L. Repeat above chemicals or Lamda cyhalothrin 5 EC (0.5 ml/L) or Acetamiprid (0.2 g/l) or Diofenthiuran 50% WP (1.2 g/l) after 15 days of planting in main field.

Leaves of infected plants show dark-green mottles, with dark-green spotting, patching and banding adjacent to the veins. These viruses are transmitted by aphids.

Uproot and destroy the infected plants as soon as noticed. Follow spray schedule mentioned for aphid management.