5. Fruit fly

6. Fruit fly - Bactrocera (= Dacus) dorsalis Hend. ( Tephritidae : Diptera )

    Damage
    • The maggot destroy and convert the pulp into a bad smelling, discoloured semi liquid mass unfit for human consumption.
    • The infestation results in fruit drop and start rotting from inside.
    • On complete rotting of the fruits, the damaged fruit develop yellow spots with black centers through which liquid oozes out on pressing.
    Mango Fruit fly

    Bionomics
    • The adult fly is brown or dark brown with hyaline wings and yellow legs.
    • The female fly lays eggs in clusters of 2-15 just beneath the skin of the ripening fruits. A single female lays up to 200 eggs during oviposition period of one month.
    • The egg period is 22-23 days.
    • The maggot feeds on pulp and become full grown in about 7 days.
    • It pupates 3-7 inches below the soil.
    Mango Fruit fly

    Management
       
    1. Plough the interspaces to expose the pupae during the off - season.
    2. Collect and destroy the fallen fruits.
    3. Set up fly trap using methyl eugenol. Prepare methyl eugenol 1 ml/ 1 litre of water + 1 ml of Malathion solution.
    4. Take 10 ml of this mixture per trap and keep them at 25 different places in one ha between 6 and 8 am. Collect and destroy the adult flies.
    5. Conserve parasitoids like Optius compensates and Spalangia philippinensis.
    6. Use bait spray combining molasses or jaggery 10g/1 and one of the insecticides, fenthion 100 EC 1 ml/1, malathion 50 EC 2 ml/1, dimethoate 30 EC 1 ml/1, carbaryl 50 WP 4g/1, two rounds at fortnightly intervals before ripening of the fruits.
    Mango fruit fly-control
    7. Spray fenthion 2 ml / litre or Malathion 2 ml / litre of water.
       

Last modified: Wednesday, 25 January 2012, 11:35 PM