Seasonal variations of peach fruit fly, Bactrocera zonata Saunder under the impact of host fruits and meteorological factors

Rashid Ahmed Khan, Muhammed Naveed, Mureed Hussain

Abstract: Peach fruit fly, Bactrocera zonata is a widely distributed and devastating pest of fruit with global significance. Its population dynamics are greatly influenced by the climatic factors and availability of fruits. In the present study, we monitored the B. zonata in mango, guava and citrus with the help of specially designed methyl eugenol traps. The climatic factors were also recorded at the same time for the detailed analysis. The results revealed two population peaks throughout the year, one in the month of May, whereas the other in the month of August and September. The temperature was determined as the major factor in population buildup associated with the availability of ripened fruits. The other factors such as rainfall and relative humidity played minor role as determined by the multivariate analysis. These results will help us to devise an IPM program to control the menace of peach fruit fly before the population buildup.

Keywords: Bactrocera zonata; Climatic factors; IPM; Methyl eugenol; Population dynamics

Date published: 2021-04-23