Abstract
Demand for organic cherries offers producers a premium price to improve their commercial viability. Organic standards require that producers find alternatives to pesticides. Soil treatments to control the European cherry fruit fly Rhagoletis cerasi (L.) (Diptera: Tephrididae) appear to be an attractive option. However, soil treatments can only be effective if the migration of flies is low, because mature flies may migrate from near-by trees for oviposition. To examine the general potential of soil treatments and to understand the dispersal and flight behaviour of R. cerasi within orchards, experiments using netting to cover the soil were conducted in two orchards with different pest pressure during two years. The netting reduced flight activity by 77% and fruit infestation by 91%. The data showed that the flies have a dispersal of less than 5 m within orchards, which is very low. The low thresholds for tolerance for infested fruit in the fresh market creates a strong economic incentive for control, therefore, soil covering is a promising strategy for controlling R. cerasi in commercial orchards.
Highlights
The European cherry fruit fly, Rhagoletis cerasi (L.) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is a highly destructive pest of sweet cherries in Europe [1]
An inspection of infestation rates in both orchards during the preceding years indicated that the distribution of R. cerasi was homogenous within the orchards, with a tendency toward slightly higher infestation rates in the centre of the orchard
The results show, that netting will almost certainly be able to reduce infestation levels to cannery grade and have a high probability of making fresh grade
Summary
The European cherry fruit fly, Rhagoletis cerasi (L.) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is a highly destructive pest of sweet cherries in Europe [1]. The Insects 2013, 4 larvae leave the fruit, drop to the soil and within hours start to pupate under the tree canopy. R. cerasi poses a challenge to cherry growers because of the low tolerance level of the fresh market to damaged fruit2with a maximum of two per cent of infested fruits. The tolerance level of six percent in cherries for canning industry is often exceeded. Because the infested fruit cannot be sorted out, the entire crop is rejected if tolerance levels are not met. R. cerasi is the only pest insect that requires treatment of cherry fruit in Europe.
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