The young leaves of my chilli are curling, and I see silvery shiny streaks and tiny moving specks. Some leaves curl down at the edges and look dull and bronzed. Flowers are dropping. Is this thrips or mites and how do I tell them apart?
Both thrips and mites cause leaf curl in chilli but the patterns differ. Thrips rasp the surface and cause leaves to curl upward with silvery streaks and the underside looks scarred, and they also cause flower and bud drop. Mites are tiny and live on the underside, causing leaves to curl downward and look dull bronzed and brittle, sometimes with fine webbing. Use a hand lens, thrips are slender and slip into the curl, mites are round dots that move slowly. Manage with neem oil first, blue sticky traps for thrips, and remove badly curled growth. For thrips a recommended insecticide such as spinosad or fipronil can be used, and for mites a specific miticide such as spiromesifen, since most insecticides do not kill mites. Rotate modes of action and never mix randomly. As chilli is eaten, follow the label and waiting period. Take a hand lens photo to your KVK to confirm which one before buying chemicals.
The up curl versus down curl tip is the easiest way I found. Thrips curled mine up, mites curled them down. Saved me from buying the wrong spray.
Spraying an insecticide for mites just made the mites worse for me because it killed their natural enemies. A proper miticide was the only thing that worked.
Blue sticky traps caught lots of thrips in my plot. Good for knowing pressure before the leaves curl badly.
Get free daily mandi prices, MSP changes, scheme cut-offs and weather alerts - and your own Kisan ID.
Today's rates, MSP moves, scheme deadlines and weather - the moment they matter.
Join Bharat Annadata Sangh free - get a digital farmer ID card and free answers from our Krishi Team.
100% free · No spam · Prices from Agmarknet · Unsubscribe anytime
