Adoption of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in Chilli ( Capsicum annuum L.):A Case Study from Guntur District, Andhra Pradesh

An Integrated Pest Management (IPM) project was implemented in the cropping season 2006-07 in six villages of Guntur District. Survey was conducted in the six villages and all 150 chilli farmers participating in Crop Life India (CLI) sponsored IPM project were treated as a sample for the study. In the case of sucking pests, 56% of the farmers expressed that mites were an important pest. Among the fruit borers, a majority (83.33%) felt that Spodoptera litura was a serious problem and; among diseases, 56% opined die-back to be the major problem. More than twothirds of the respondents adopted all components of IPM, with the exception of bioagents where adoption was just 46%. 44% felt leaf spot was a major disease. Over 80% adopted border crops, trap crops, scouting techniques and mechanical-control measures. All the respondents followed 10-15 day pre-harvest interval of pesticide application as a measure for obtaining quality produce and better price. Problems of post-harvest pests and diseases were not observed in the case of well-dried chillies.