author(s)
Vijayalakshmi, AG Sreenivas, J Ashok, Sushila Nadagouda and DS Aswathanarayan

abstract
A field experiment comprising of different intercrops viz., carrot, tomato, palak, radish, bhendi, coriander, chilli and french bean were screened in onion ecosystem at 3:1 proportion at Main Agricultural Research Station, Raichur during kharif season of 2016-17. Observations on population of thrips, Spodoptera litura larval population were registered at 15, 30, 45, 60, 75 and 90 days after transplanting. The results revealed that onion intercropped with carrot reduces the incidence of both thrips and Spodoptera litura larval population on main crop with 25.43 per plant and 0.90 per plant, respectively which showed non-significant difference with onion + tomato (28.62/plant and 0.99/plant, respectively ) and onion + palak (29.95/plant and 1.04/plant, respectively). On the contrary, thrips and larval population was significantly high in onion monocropping (37.46 /plant and 1.59/plant, respectively). Further, onion intercropped with carrot ecosystem recorded the significantly highest bulb yield (8.90 t/ha) followed by onion + tomato (8.70 t/ha), onion + french bean (8.60 t/ha).