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Thrips in chilli (including black thrips Thrips parvispinus)

Thrips are sap-sucking thysanopteran pests of chilli, dominated since Rabi 2021-22 by the invasive South-East Asian species Thrips parvispinus (Karny). They are now considered the single largest current biotic constraint on Indian chilli production.

Identification and symptoms

Diagnostic damage on chilli includes upward leaf curl, flower drop and yield collapse. ICAR-IIHR and ICAR-NBAIR surveys in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka recorded 70-100% flower damage during the Rabi 2021-22 outbreak, with averages of approximately 18 thrips per flower in severely affected fields.

Host crops / Life cycle

The dominant species on chilli is Thrips parvispinus (Karny); other endemic species (notably Scirtothrips dorsalis) also occur. The Rabi 2021-22 outbreak was concentrated in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka, with subsequent reports from Gujarat, Odisha and Maharashtra. All major chilli varieties — Guntur Sannam (Chilli Guntur Sannam), Teja (Chilli Teja Segment) and Byadgi types (Chilli Byadgi Segment) — are affected.

Damage and economic impact

Severe feeding causes flower drop (Disorder Chilli Flower Bud Drop) and direct yield collapse, with documented flower damage of 70-100% in unprotected fields during outbreak years.

Management (cultural, biological, chemical)

Management is based on monitoring, alternation of approved insecticides / acaricides and biocontrol via predatory mites. The standard package combines:

  • Cultural — insect-proof nursery netting (Practice Chilli Nursery Raising) and removal of alternate weed hosts
  • Monitoring — blue and yellow sticky traps, plus flower-tap counts
  • Chemistry — alternation through the IPM spray calendar (Practice Chilli Spray Schedule); molecules deployed against thrips include spinetoram, fipronil and cyantraniliprole
  • Biocontrol — predatory mite releases and conservation of generalist predators, as outlined in ICAR-IIHR bio-intensive modules

A detailed pest-monograph view of T. parvispinus is given at Pest Thrips Parvispinus Black Thrips.

Pest Thrips Parvispinus Black Thrips, Disorder Chilli Flower Bud Drop, Pest Mites Chilli, Practice Chilli Spray Schedule

References

  1. Pest Alert: Invasive thrips Thrips parvispinus (Karny). ICAR-NBAIR.
  2. South East Asian Thrips Thrips parvispinus — Monitoring and Management. ICAR-IIHR.
  3. Bio-intensive management of thrips in horticultural crops. ICAR-IIHR.