Abstract
ABSTRACT Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata) is one of the world's major pests infesting fruit crops, causing significant losses. However, this insect has a soil phase and is a potential target for entomopathogenic nematodes. The objective of this work was to test the efficiency of the nematodes Steinernema carpocapsae ALL and Heterorhabditis amazonensis JPM4 in controlling larvae and pupae of Ceratitis capitata. Petri dishes with filter paper or pots with 200 g of soil were used to assess different nematode concentrations; 20 individuals (larvae or pupae) were placed in each container and the nematode suspension was applied at concentrations of 0, 140, 180, 220, 260, and 300 IJs (infective juveniles) cm-2. The nematode horizontal movement was tested using pots with soil and a metal screen at every 10 cm to define different distances (0, 10, 20, and 30 cm from the application site). Ten larvae and ten pupae were transferred to every distance; 10 mL of the nematode suspension (220 IJs cm-2) were applied at the distance zero; 10 mL of the nematode suspension with 220 IJs cm-2 was applied to each pot, using ten larvae and ten pupae for each evaluation time (0, 10, 20, and 30 days after application of nematodes) to study the effectiveness of these nematodes over time. Both nematodes killed C. capitata larvae and pupae, but S. carpocapsae ALL was the most effective. However, this nematode showed no ability for horizontal movement, which was found in H. amazonensis JPM4 nematodes. Both nematodes showed decreasing efficiency over time.
Highlights
Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata) is one of the world's major pests infesting fruit crops, causing significant losses due to direct and indirect damages
The bioassays were carried out using the H. amazonensis JPM4 isolate, from Minas Gerais, Brazil; and S. carpocapsae ALL isolate, from North Carolina, USA
The individuals were transferred to Petri dishes (9 cm diameter) with two sheets of filter paper, where 1 mL of the nematode suspension (H. amazonensis JPM4 or S. carpocapsae ALL) was added at concentrations of 0, 140, 180, 220, 260, and 300 IJs cm-2; 1 mL of distilled water was used for the control treatment
Summary
Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata) is one of the world's major pests infesting fruit crops, causing significant losses due to direct and indirect damages. Since this insect is a quarantine pest The presence of this pest species limits the access of fruits to international markets due to quarantine restrictions imposed by importing countries (MURIITHI et al, 2016). Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is one of the most important fruit fly species because it is the most cosmopolitan and invasive species, occurring in all biogeographic regions of the world and, causing the most damages to fruit production (EGARTNER et al, 2019). The control of fruit flies usually requires more than one method It can be achieved through cultural, behavioral, legislative, biological, and chemical methods, the latter being the most used (DIAS et al 2018). Pesticides are expensive and can leave toxic residues on fruits, which are prejudicial to the fresh fruit marketing and consumption (MURIITHI et al, 2016)
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