Abstract
Both biotic and abiotic factors have a considerable impact on cucumber production; the frequency of pests and diseases operate as important restrictions, resulting in yield losses ranging from 35 to 60%. Among pests, cucumber leaves, flowers, buds, stems, and fruits are severely damaged by thrips. This study compares the effectiveness of various insecticides in controlling cucumber thrips. The Chadani variety was the subject of an experiment utilizing a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with seven treatments and three replications at the Gauradaha Agriculture Campus in Jhapa, from February 14 to May 30, 2023. Treatments were applied 3 times using a foliar spray method. Data regarding the thrips population before spraying insecticides and after the 2nd, 4th, and 6th days of spraying were recorded. Data were collected and analyzed using ANOVA in GenStat (15th edition), with mean separation by Duncan’s Multiple Range Test (DMRT). Thiamethoxam exhibited the highest Population Reduction over Control (PROC) at 68.65% (first spray), 28.00% (second spray), and 34.44% (third spray), followed by Imidacloprid (61.54%, 27.95%, and 32.27%) and Dimethoate (53.66%, 18.11%, and 17.31%). The highest yield was recorded in Thiamethoxam (28.13 tons/ha), followed by Imidacloprid (26.62 tons/ha) and Dimethoate (19.09 tons/ha). These findings demonstrate that Thiamethoxam significantly reduces thrips populations and enhances productivity and economic returns, making it a superior choice for pest management in cucumber cultivation in Jhapa, Nepal.
Keywords
References
- Bacci, L., Picanço, M. C., Gonring, A. H. R., Guedes, R. N. C., & Crespo, A. L. B. (2006). Critical yield components and key loss factors of tropical cucumber crops. Crop Protection, 25(10), 1117-1125. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cropro.2006.03.010 [Google Scholar]
- Bagheri, S., Mosaddegh, M., & Kamali, K. (2002). Study on biology of Thrips tabaci in north of Khuzestan. Proceedings of the 15th Plant Protection Congress, Iran, pp. 78. [Google Scholar]
- Cook, D., Herbert, A., Akin, D. S., & Reed, J. (2011). Biology, crop injury, and management of thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) infesting cotton seedlings in the United States. Journal of Integrated Pest Management, 2(2), B1–B9. https://doi.org/10.1603/IPM10024 [Google Scholar]
- Dahal, K., & Adhikari, R. (2021). Performance of cucumber in early summer season on walk-in structure. International Journal for Research in Applied Sciences and Biotechnology, 8(3), 23-26. [Google Scholar]
- Elbert, A., Nauen, R., & Leicht, W. (2021). Imidacloprid, a novel chloro nicotinyl insecticide: Biological activity and agricultural importance. In Insecticides with Novel Modes of Action (pp. 50–73). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-03565-8_4 [Google Scholar]
- FAO (2022). FAOSTAT: Production of cucumbers and gherkins. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. [Google Scholar]
- Hagstrum, D. W., & Flinn, P. W. (2018). Integrated pest management. In Integrated management of insects in stored products (pp. 399-407). CRC Press. [Google Scholar]
- Immaraju, J. A. (2002). The commercial use of azadirachtin and its integration into viable pest control programmes. Pesticide Science, 54(3), 285-289. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1096-9063(1998110)54:3%3C285::AID-PS802%3E3.0.CO;2-E [Google Scholar]
- Jeschke, P., Nauen, R., Schindler, M., & Elbert, A. (2011). Overview of the status and global strategy for neonicotinoids. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 59(6), 2897–2908. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf101303g [Google Scholar]
- Johari, A. (2015). Abundance of Thrips palmi Karny and the phenomenon of Thrips sp. (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) attack as pest and virus vector at vegetable plantations in Jambi region. ARPN Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences, 10(6), 2570-2576. [Google Scholar]
- Karuppaiah, V., Maruthadurai, R., Das, B., Soumia, P. S., Gadge, A. S., Thangasamy, A., & Singh, M. (2023). Predicting the potential geographical distribution of onion thrips, Thrips tabaci in India based on climate change projections using MaxEnt. Scientific Reports, 13(1), 7934. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-35012-y [Google Scholar]
- Kawai, A. K. I. R. A. (2015). Life cycle and population dynamics of Thrips palmi Karny. Japan Agricultural Research Quarterly, 23(4), 282-288. [Google Scholar]
- Keswani, C., Singh, S. P., & Singh, H. B. (2013).Beauveria bassiana: Status, mode of action, applications and safety issues. Biotech Today, 3(1), 16-20. https://doi.org/10.5958/j.2322-0996.3.1.002 [Google Scholar]
- Kong, D., Jin, R., Wang, T., Li, H., Yan, X., Su, D., & Lu, G. (2019). Fluorescent hydrogel test kit coordination with smartphone: Robust performance for on-site dimethoate analysis. Biosensors and Bioelectronics, 145, 111706. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bios.2019.111706 [Google Scholar]
- Krishi Diary (2022). Krishi Diary 2022. Government of Nepal, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development. [Google Scholar]
- Macedo, W. R., Araújo, D. K., & Castro, P. R. D. C. (2013). Unravelling the physiologic and metabolic action of thiamethoxam on rice plants. Pesticide Biochemistry and Physiology, 107(2), 244-249. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pestbp.2013.08.001 [Google Scholar]
- Medina, P., Budia, F., Del Estal, P., & Viñuela, E. (2004). Influence of Azadirachtin, a botanical insecticide, on Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens) reproduction: toxicity and ultrastructural approach. Journal of Economic Entomology, 97(1), 43–50. https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/97.1.43 [Google Scholar]
- Mound, L. A., Wang, Z., Lima, É. F., & Marullo, R. (2022).Problems with the concept of “pest” among the diversity of pestiferous thrips. Insects, 13(1), 61. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects13010061 [Google Scholar]
- Pourian, H. R., Mirab-balou, M., Alizadeh, M., & Orosz, S. (2009). Study on biology of onion thrips, Thrips tabaci Lindeman (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) on cucumber (var. Sultan) in laboratory conditions. Journal of Plant Protection Research, 49(4), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.2478/v10045-009-0061-x [Google Scholar]
- Serrão, J. E., Plata-Rueda, A., Martínez, L. C., & Zanuncio, J. C. (2022). Side-effects of pesticides on non-target insects in agriculture: A mini-review. The Science of Nature, 109(2), 17. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-022-01788-8 [Google Scholar]
- Sharma, V., Sharma, L., & Sandhu, K. S. (2020). Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.). Antioxidants in vegetables and nuts-Properties and health benefits, 333-340. [Google Scholar]
- Shipp, J. L., Zhang, Y., Hunt, D. W. A., & Ferguson, G. (2003). Influence of humidity and greenhouse microclimate on the efficacy of Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) for control of greenhouse arthropod pests. Environmental Entomology, 32(5), 1154-1163. https://doi.org/10.1603/0046-225X-32.5.1154 [Google Scholar]
- Shweta, S. H., Gangadhar, N., Gopali, J. B., & Basavarajappa, M. P. (2019). Bio-efficacy of synthetic insecticides against onion thrips , Thrips tabaci Lindeman ( Thysanoptera : Thripidae ). Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies, 7(2), 38–42. [Google Scholar]
- Sriapha, C., Trakulsrichai, S., Tongpoo, A., Pradoo, A., Rittilert, P., & Wananukul, W. (2020). Acute imidacloprid poisoning in Thailand. Therapeutics and Clinical Risk Management, 6, 1081-1088. http://doi.org/10.2147/TCRM.S269161 [Google Scholar]
- Steenbergen, M., Abd-el-Haliem, A., Bleeker, P., Dicke, M., Escobar-Bravo, R., Cheng, G., & Broekgaarden, C. (2018). Thrips advisor: exploiting thrips-induced defences to combat pests on crops. Journal of Experimental Botany, 69(8), 1837-1848. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/ery060 [Google Scholar]
- Ullah, F., Farid, A., Saeed, M. Q., & Sattar, S. (2010). Population dynamics and chemical control of onion thrips (Thrips tabaci, Lindemann). Pakistan Journal of Zoology, 42(4), 1-10. [Google Scholar]
- Uthpala, T. G., Marapana, R. A. U., Lakmini, K. P., & Wettimuny, D. C. (2020). Nutritional bioactive compounds and health benefits of fresh and processed cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.). Sumerianz Journal of Biotechnology, 3, 75-82. [Google Scholar]
- Varela, R. C. L., & Fail, J. (2022). Host plant association and distribution of the onion thrips, Thrips tabaci cryptic species complex. Insects, 13(3), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects13030298 [Google Scholar]
- Weng, Y. (2021). Cucumis sativus chromosome evolution, domestication, and genetic diversity: Implications for cucumber breeding. Plant Breeding Reviews, 44, 79-111. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119717003.ch4 [Google Scholar]
- Willis, K. J., & Ling, N. (2003). The toxicity of emamectin benzoate, an aquaculture pesticide, to planktonic marine copepods. Aquaculture, 221(1-4), 289-297. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0044-8486(03)00066-8 [Google Scholar]

