Chilli: thrips, mites, fruit rot and better fruit set

Chilli is one of the most input-heavy crops, and most of that money goes on thrips, mites and fruit rot. The leaf curl caused by thrips (upward curl) and mites (downward curl) looks similar but needs different products, so correct identification saves a spray.

Doses in this guide are taken from the product labels. Always read the label and leaflet before use, respect the pre-harvest interval, and check with your nearest Biostadt retailer or agronomist for advice specific to your field.

Tell thrips and mites apart

	Thrips	Yellow (broad) mites
Leaf curl	Upward, boat-shaped	Downward, leaf edges roll under
Leaf surface	Silvery streaks, brittle	Shiny, bronzed, thickened
Check	Tap a shoot on white paper: tiny moving slivers	Use a hand lens under young leaves: almost invisible dots

Nursery and planting

• Treat seed with Evident Flo at 7 ml per kg seed to protect seedlings from early thrips.
• Raise the nursery under 40–50 mesh insect net to keep out thrips and whitefly that spread leaf curl virus.
• Plant 2 rows of maize or sorghum as a border barrier and put up blue sticky traps (10–12 per acre) to monitor thrips.

Pest control

• Mites: Maiden (hexythiazox 5.45% EC) 500 ml per hectare in 500 litres of water. Spray the underside of leaves thoroughly.
• Thrips, mites and fruit borer together: Bioclaim Pro or Bioclaim, at the label dose.
• Aphids and thrips: Ultimo Super or Wapkil.
• Do not spray the same insecticide more than twice in a season. Thrips develop resistance quickly.

Disease control

Disease	Product and label dose
Fruit rot, die-back (anthracnose)	Alliance 600 ml/ha, Tagma 500–750 ml/ha or Redeem 50 ml per 100 L water
Powdery mildew	Decimer 500 ml/ha, Rinzex 1000 ml/ha or Cygnet 40 g per 10 L water
Damping off in the nursery	Sparsh as a drench, as per label

Start fungicide sprays at flowering if the weather is humid, and repeat every 12–15 days while fruits are setting, rotating products.

Nutrition for better fruit set

• BioGreen Calcium 2–2.5 ml per litre at flowering and fruit set reduces flower drop and blossom-end rot.
• BioGreen Boron 1–1.5 ml per litre improves pollination and fruit set.

Spray safely

• Wear gloves, a mask, full sleeves and eye protection while mixing and spraying.
• Spray in the early morning or late evening, never against the wind or before expected rain.
• Use clean water and the full recommended water volume. Poor coverage is the most common reason a spray "does not work".
• Do not mix products unless the label allows it. If unsure, do a jar test first.
• Keep children and animals away, and never reuse empty containers. Rinse them three times, puncture them and dispose of them safely.