Efficacy of different treatment schedules against thrips in pomegranate ecosystem

Abstract

The field experiment was conducted during the Kharif season of 2024-25 at village Dhopteshwar tq Badnapur and Dist Jalna. The experimental site is geographically situated at 19°1' and 21°3' North Latitudes and 75°4' and 76°4' East Longitudes. The minimum and maximum temperature is during the last five year were 15.25 °C and 43.85 °C and the mean relative humidity range from 30-91%. The field experiment was conducted at Dhopateshwar, Badnapur, during the Mrig Bahar season using a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with seven treatments replicated thrice. The pooled mean thrips population revealed that, significant differences observed among treatments over the cropping period. The sequence of NSKE followed by imidacloprid and lambda-cyhalothrin (T3) achieved the lowest infestation and averaged 10.22 thrips per 15 cm twig. The integrated program of azadirachtin, thiamethoxam and spinosad (T2) ranked second (11.71 thrips per 15 cm twig). Chlorpyrifos drenching (T6) and the acetamiprid-emamectin-bagging schedule (T4) recorded 12.28 and 13.27 thrips per 15 cm twig, respectively, indicated strong but slightly lower efficacy. The strategy combined sticky traps with chemical sprays (T1) resulted in 16.08 thrips per 15 cm twig, while the exclusively biological intervention (T5) averaged 18.10 thrips per 15 cm twig, suggesteed that biocontrol agents may require longer establishment and supplementary applications for optimum performance. The untreated control (T7) noted the highest population, with 30.38 thrips per 15 cm twig, underscoring the effectiveness of integrated chemical and botanical interventions in managing thrips on pomegranate ecosystem.