Comparison of different methyl eugenol based trap shapes for capturing fruit flies, Bactrocera Spp. in kinnow orchards

Abstract

Oriental fruit fy, Bactrocera dorsalis(Hendel) and peach fruit fy, Bactrocera zonata(Saunders) (Diptera: Tephritidae) constitute a group of agricultural pests of global importance that attack a wide range of fruits causing considerable economic loss. The effective management of fruit flies (Bactrocera spp.) in Kinnow mandarin orchards was carried out during 2015–16 by evaluating different shapes of methyl eugenol based traps viz., triangular traps, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) fruit fy traps, cylindrical traps and spherical traps. These were evaluated against fruit flies from 35th Standard Meteorological Week (SMW) to 50th SMW as both chemical and visual stimuli may play an important role in guiding insects to the site where essential resources can be found. The results revealed that triangular traps were found to capture signifcantly higher population, followed by PAU fruit fy traps, cylindrical traps and spherical traps. The mean percentage of fruit fy damage was also lowest (10.63) in triangular traps but signifcantly at par with other traps. Cost: beneft ratio was highest in PAU traps.