Screening of Gerbera Varieties for Field Tolerance Against Sucking Insect Pests under Polyhouse Conditions

Gerbera is an important ornamental flower crop grown worldwide, significantly contributing to the national economy. In India, it serves as a major source of livelihood for both rural and urban flower industries. However, the yield of Gerbera is severely affected by sucking pests, which attack the crop at all growth stages. To identify tolerant varieties, present study was conducted in 2019-20 at the College of Agriculture, Vellayani, Thiruvananthapuram, to evaluate the field tolerance of Gerbera varieties against sucking pests under in-situ and ex-situ conditions. The experiment followed a Completely Randomized Block Design with five varieties viz., Cappablanca, Aquamelone, Beaudine, Esmara and Sona replicated four times. These varieties were naturally exposed to thrips (Scirtothrips dorsalis), mites, aphids, scales, and mealybugs (Planococcus citri) under polyhouse conditions. Among the screened varieties, Beaudine (26.85) and Esmara (30.79) recorded the lowest thrips infestation, while Cappablanca (58.52) was the most susceptible. Beaudine also had the lowest mealybug infestation (31.25), whereas Sona recorded the highest (97.81). Overall, Beaudine demonstrated the highest tolerance to sucking pests, making it a promising variety for pest management in Gerbera cultivation, while Sona was the most susceptible.