Seasonal incidence of rusty thrips Chaetanophothrips signipennis with applied ICT-based pest surveillance in Banana

Under the study, pest surveillance with applied ICT in Banana (Musa sp.) was carried out to assess seasonal activity and damage due to rusty thrips Chaetanophothrips signipennis (Bagnall) from 2012–2022. Wide- area pest surveillance was carried out in major banana growing areas of Maharashtra, using ICT tools for the timely and correct observation of pest activity. The ten seasonal year’s data on the rusty thrips monitoring revealed that August and September are the peak months for severe incidence. The results documented that, September is the plausible month for peak incidence with fruit damage ranging from 26–50%. Heatmap, cluster dendrogram and principle component analysis also confirm the severity of thrips during August and September. The initiation of management options before the onset of August and September may greatly help the farming community.