Pest Risk Analysis and Management Practices for Increasing Profitability of Lemon Production

Abstract

The study aimed at assessing the pest risk and management practices of lemon production and its profitability in Tangail district of Bangladesh. Household survey was conducted by an interview schedule from 120 lemon growers who were selected as sample respondents following a proportionate random sampling technique. Lemon butterfly and dieback disease were identified as important problems in lemon cultivation. Lemon butterfly was found with the highest infestation in Elachi lemon (70.0%) and Kagozi lemon (57.0%). Dieback disease was found with the highest infestation rate of 49.3% in Elachi lemon, 38.0% in Kagozi lemon, and 33.3% in Sakara-2 variety. Almost 82.5 percent of the respondents had medium to high adoption of pest management practices. The adoption of pest management practices was positively related to the profitability of lemon cultivation. However, there is further scope to make pest management practices sustainable by enhancing the adoption of biological, cultural, and mechanical approaches.