Combination of Garlic Extract and Some Organophosphate Insecticides in Controlling Thrips (Thrips palmi) Pest in Watermelon Management

The efficacy of Dimethoate 30EC and Kartodim 315EC and their combinations with garlic extract were evaluated for the control of thrips (thrips palmi) in watermelon cultivation. Field experiments were conducted in a randomized block design with three replications at Ebiburn Farms, Nigeria in 2009 and 2010. Results show that Dimethoate 30EC + garlic solution with an average percent infestation of 4.0 and Kartodim 315EC + garlic solution with 5.8 were most effective as they differed significantly from other treatments and control plots. The individual mean percent infestation of Dimathoate 30EC, Kartodim 315EC, garlic solution and control were 11.8, 13.1, 20.0 and 40.7 respectively. Similarly, yield data was also maximum with Dimethoate 30EC + garlic solution(87.85t/ha) and Kartodim 315EC + garlic solution (78.3t/ha) which differed significantly from garlic solution alone (43 t/ha) and control (6.1t/ha). These results conclude that a combination of garlic extracts with organophosphate insecticides could prove better in thrips control.