Vol. 9, Special Issue 12, Part J (2025)

Small cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum), often called the “queen of spices,” occupies a distinctive niche in the global spice market and is ranked as the third most valuable spice after cinnamon and clove. Repeated pest incursions and associated yield reductions have prompted growers to rely heavily on broad‑spectrum insecticides, which can destabilise cardamom ecosystems and leave residues in the harvested product. To address these concerns, a three‑year study (2021‑2024) was carried out in Idukki district, Kerala, to evaluate the conservation and sustainability impacts of several bio‑intensive pest‑management (BIPM) modules relative to conventional farmer practices (FP). Four BIPM regimes were tested: BIPM‑1 combined cultural practices (trash removal to reduce thrips and root‑grub damage) with foliar application of plant‑derived growth promoters (PPFM, 3 ml L⁻¹) for drought mitigation, soil amendment with ICAR‑IIHR‑AMC (10 g L⁻¹) for nutrient management, and soil inoculation with entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN, 2.5 kg ha⁻¹) to control root grubs. BIPM‑2 employed soil‑applied entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae (2 % w/v) for root‑grub suppression. BIPM‑3 involved spraying a natural product, spinosad (0.0135 % a.i., derived from Saccharopolyspora spinosa), to manage thrips, shoot borers and capsule borers. BIPM‑4 used Bacillus thuringiensis (2 ml L⁻¹) applied at the early‑instar stage (within 20 days of adult moth emergence) to target capsule, panicle and bud larvae. Two farmer‑practice treatments were included: FP‑1-need‑based insecticide applications, and FP‑2-calendar‑based sprays, alongside an untreated control (UC) receiving no interventions. Pest and disease incidence were recorded by visual counts at 15‑day intervals throughout the cropping seasons. The study aimed to quantify the ecological and production benefits of the BIPM approaches compared with conventional chemical‑based strategies.