Population dynamics of major insect and mite pests and control on sweet pepper grown in net house in Egypt

Abstract: Sweet pepper, Capsicum annuum L., is an economically viable vegetable crop. Its crop acreage is rapidly increasing under protected cultivation in Egypt. Dutch cultivars Dabka RZ, Zidenka RZ, Pasodoble RZ, Mazurka RZ yellow, 182 red cv., and 58 red cv. were included for fall plantations and summer plantations were Inspiration RZ and Taranto RZ. Predominant damage over the two seasons were due to the two-spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae Koch and the Thrips tabaci Lindeman. The highest population density during the fall was recorded on Dabka RZ with T. urticae followed by moderate damage from onion thrips, T. tabaci. Infestation by the broad mite, Polyphagotarsonemus latus Banks was very rare. Light infestations were recorded with the whitefly Bemisia tabaci Gennadius on summer plantations. Infestation of summer pepper cultivars varied with respect to their fruit color; red was regularly more susceptible than yellow to T. urticae and moderately with B. tabaci, whilst infestation of the yellow fruit with T. tabaci color was vice versa.