Field Evaluation of Chilli Cultivation Practices and Their Effectiveness in Managing the Leaf Curl Complex under Dry Zone Conditions in Sri Lanka

Currently chilli farmers in Sri Lanka prefer to grow chilli hybrids under insect-proof nets to control the leaf curl complex. However, the effect of this system has not fully evaluated and the information are limited. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate three different farmer-managed chilli cultivation practices and determine their effectiveness in managing the Chilli Leaf Curl Complex (CLCC) under dry zone field conditions in Sri Lanka. Data were collected from 28 farmers, with two-week intervals. Three treatments, insect-proof nets combined with polythene mulch and a fertigation system (T1), without insect-proof nets but with straw mulch and fertigation (T2), and traditional open-field chilli cultivation using flood irrigation (T3) were used in Completely randomized  design (CRD). Thrips & CLCC damage severity, insect count, yield parameters, weather parameters and insecticide application details were recorded. Thrips damage severity did not differ among three farmer practices up to 6 WAP (p>0.05). At 8–10 WAP, it was significantly highest in T3 (p<0.05) and lowest in T1, followed by T2. Chilli leaf curl severity was significantly higher in T3 from 2–12 WAP (p<0.05), while T1 exceeded T2 only at 12 WAP, with no earlier differences.The whitefly abundance at 10 WAP correlated positively with ambient and canopy relative humidity (p<0.05).T1 had the highest environmental impact quotient (p<0.05), reflecting intensive insecticide use. The yield was significantly higher in T2 (p<0.05) than other two practices .Based on the collected data, T2 can be considered the most effective management practice for controlling CLCC compared to the other practices.