Indian Cardamom Research Institute, Regional Station, Spices Board, Sakleshpur - 573 134, Karnataka, (India).
1Present address: Indian Cardamom Research Institute, Regional Station, Spices Board, Baluwakhani, Gangtok-737 101, (Sikkim), (India).
Leaf thrips, Panchaetothrips indicus Bagnall, is a foliar sucking pest of small cardamom, Elettaria cardamomum Maton. Nymphs are gregarious in nature and feed on upper surface of the young cardamom leaves. The infested leaf rolls up, turns yellow and later dries. Due to severe infestation, the young plant dies. The adults are black and the characteristic feature is to keep abdOmen upwards in bent position. This pest does not transmit the cardamom ‘katte’ disease. The pest was effectively controlled by spraying monocrotophos or quinalphos at 0.025% concentration.
