First record of the association of banana (Musa sp.) and Ceratitis capitata (Widemann, 1824) in Brazil

Ricardo Falcão De Sá,Rita De Cassia Costa De Oliveira,José Carlos Marques Dos Santos,Maria Aparecida Castellani,Aldenise Alves Moreira,Alessandro Da Silva Oliveira

doi:10.1590/0100-29452019091

Ricardo Falcão De Sá, Rita De Cassia Costa De Oliveira + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/0100-29452019091

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Abstract

Abstract Brazil is the fourth world’s largest banana (Musa spp.) producer and largest consumer. Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann, 1824) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is the main pest of quarantine importance in the exploration of fresh fruits. This species has shown wide ecological plasticity, with adaptation in several native and exotic hosts and different edaphoclimatic conditions. In November 2017 and March 2018, banana samples of AAB subgroup, Prata Anã, Prata Pacovan and Prata BRS Princesa, were collected from orchards located in the fruit producing region of São Francisco, Juazeiro, Bahia, Brazil. Fruits were sent to the laboratory for processing aimed at obtaining adults. A total of 177 tephritid pupae were obtained in Prata Anã variety, emerging 106 C. capitata adults. The total infestation rates in puparia kg fruit-1 and puparia fruit-1 were 7.45 and 0.70, respectively. Thus, the association between banana and C. capitata was recorded for the first time in Brazil and the probable implications related to this bitrophic association will be discussed.

Highlights

Current data reveal that 96 plant species have already been registered as C. capitata hosts (ZUCCHI; MORAES, 2012)
Considering the importance of banana farming in Bahia and Brazil, as well as the possibilities of expanding the export of fresh fruits, it was hypothesized that banana fruits are hosts of fruit flies and, contribute to the maintenance of tefritid populations in fruit growing regions, being able to assume pest status
Fruit fly infestation was confirmed in banana variety Prata Anã (Musa sp.) at maturation scale 5 from Lots 286 from Santa Clara farm and 301 from Salitre lot, obtaining 172 and 5 puparia, respectively, totaling 177 puparia

Summary

Introduction

In Brazil, Raga et al (2011) observed four Tephritoidea puparia in banana samples (Musa paradisiaca L.), variety Prata, collected in São Paulo, but all of them non-viable, preventing identification of associated fly species. Considering the importance of banana farming in Bahia and Brazil, as well as the possibilities of expanding the export of fresh fruits, it was hypothesized that banana fruits are hosts of fruit flies and, contribute to the maintenance of tefritid populations in fruit growing regions, being able to assume pest status.

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