Area wide farmers’ driven approach for validation and economic analysis of sustainable and adaptable IPM technology for hot pepper, Capsicum annuum

Field experiments were conducted in hot pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) during 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11 and 2011–12 at Nelahal, UAS, Raichur, Karnataka with a view to study the validation and economic viability of adaptable IPM technology in a farmers’ participatory approach. The IPM technology for hot pepper crop comprising mainly the application of Trichoderma harzianum (c.f.u. 2 x 109) fortified in FYM @ 2.5 t/ha in at the time of field preparation, seed treatment with T. harzianum @ 4 g/kg or with imidacloprid 70 WS @ 10 g/kg seed + T. harzianum, one or two sprays of neem @ 5% for thrips and mites in the early stages, erection of pheromone traps @ 5/ha, application of spinosad biopesticide 45 SC @ 75 g a.i./ha.for thrips, one or two sprays of HaNPV 250 LE/ha in evenings with UV protectant with 2% jaggery based on pheromone monitoring against borer, one spray of ecofriendly abamectin @ 5% for mites, collection and destruction of borer affected fruits and leaf-curl disease/mosaic complex affected plants, need based sprays of chemical pesticides like chlorothalonil 75 WP or mancozeb 75 WP @ 3 g/l for Cercospora/Alternaria leaf spot, propiconazole 25 EC/difenoconazole 25 EC/carbendazim 50 WP fungicide @ 2 g/l application for die back/anthracnose, spray of wettable sulfur 85 WP/carbendazim 50 WP/hexaconazole 5 EC @ 2 ml/l or myclobutanil @ 1.0 ml/l of water for powdery mildew, following the crop rotation for wilt management and general spray of P. fluorescens/T. harzianum (biopesticide) for the control of die-back/anthracnose and Fusarium wilt disease and for induction of systemic resistance in plant was very effective in reducing the incidence of pests and minimizing the yield losses. The adoption of IPM technology resulted in reducing the number of chemical sprays to 8–10 from 20–22 in non-IPM fields in a season with higher dry chilli fruit yields of 2.76, 3.55, 3.07 and 1.5 tonnes/ha in IPM and 2.28, 2.60, 2.50 and 1.0 tonnes/ha in non-IPM fields and with higher CBR of 1: 4.40, 1: 5.82, 1: 7.54 and 1: 2.68 in IPM than 1: 3.21, 1: 3.93, 1: 5.25 and 1: 1.57 in non-IPM. There was a net income increase of Rs 36, 525, 68500, 60248 and 37170/ha in IPM fields over non-IPM.