To evaluate the field efficacy of a herbal biopesticide combination, Ashirwad Stop Virus, for suppressing black thrips infestation in chilli and to assess its potential as a residue-free pest management option. A field trial was conducted in chilli using a randomized block design with treated and untreated control plots. Ashirwad Stop Virus was applied as three foliar sprays at weekly intervals when thrips incidence appeared. Thrips populations were recorded one day before treatment and at 2, 3, and 7 days after each spray. Data were compared between treated and control plots to measure pest suppression. Initial thrips populations were similar between treatments. A consistent decline was observed in treated plots after each application, with counts falling from 3.40 to 2.48 after the first spray, further reducing to 1.32 after the second spray, and reaching 0.45 after the third spray at 7 days. Control plots maintained high populations throughout the study. The progressive reduction across sprays indicates cumulative activity of the herbal formulation. The results demonstrate that Ashirwad Stop Virus can effectively reduce thrips numbers under field conditions and shows better population suppression than natural decline observed in untreated plots. The study contribute to evidence supporting botanical combinations as reliable tools for reducing the dependence on synthetic insecticides in chilli and provides field-based evidence on the cumulative efficacy of a multi-herbal biopesticide combination for controlling black thrips in chilli.
Bhatt et al. (2026) studied this question.