Sharpen your knowledge on identifying and managing sucking pests in chilli horticulture. Learn the key approaches to pest detection, damage symptoms, and effective eco-friendly control strategies.
What visual symptom best indicates an aphid infestation on chilli plants in the field?
Explanation: Sticky honeydew is a common byproduct of aphid feeding and is a reliable symptom. White webbing suggests spider mites, not aphids. Chewed holes in fruit are typical of chewing pests like fruit borers, and leaf scorching is often linked to environmental stress or other pests but not aphids.
Which is the most effective eco-friendly method to control whiteflies on chilli crops?
Explanation: Yellow sticky traps are attractive to whiteflies and effectively reduce their numbers without chemicals. Overhead irrigation may not impact whiteflies and could promote diseases, excessive fertilizers can worsen pest problems, and manual removal is impractical for tiny, fast-moving whiteflies.
What characteristic feature is most associated with thrips feeding damage on young chilli leaves?
Explanation: Thrips feeding leaves silvery, shiny streaks due to cell content removal. Large holes are common with chewing pests, sunken cankers are disease symptoms, and cottony growths are associated with mealybugs or fungal pathogens.
What cultural practice is recommended to limit mite outbreaks in chilli plantations?
Explanation: Overuse of broad-spectrum insecticides destroys beneficial predators that naturally control mites, often leading to outbreaks. Closer spacing promotes humidity and can foster pests, more nitrogen can worsen outbreaks, and evening irrigation favors disease, not mite control.
Which practice most effectively reduces the risk of aphid-transmitted viral diseases in chilli fields?
Explanation: Reflective mulches disorient incoming aphids and reduce their landing, thus lowering the chance of virus transmission. Fertilizer sprays and evening watering do not prevent viruses, and untested seeds can increase disease vulnerability.