Fruit fly management research: A systematic review of monitoring and control tactics in the world

Abstract

Several fruit fly species are invasive pests that damage quality fruits in horticultural crops and cause significant value losses. The management of fruit flies is challenging due to their biology, adaptation to various regions and wide range of hosts. We assessed the historical and current approaches of fruit fly management research worldwide, and we established the current knowledge of fruit flies by systematically reviewing research on monitoring and control tactics, according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. We performed a systematic review of research outputs from 1952 to 2017, by developing an a priori defined set of criteria for subsequent replication of the review process. This review showed 4900 publications, of which 533 publications matched the criteria. The selected research studies were conducted in 41 countries for 43 fruit fly species of economic importance. Although 46% of the studies were from countries of North America, analysis of the control tactics and studied species showed a wide geographical distribution. Biological control was the most commonly studied control tactic (29%), followed by chemical control (20%), behavioral control, including SIT (18%), and quarantine treatments (17%). Studies on fruit flies continue to be published and provide useful knowledge in the areas of monitoring and control tactics. The limitations and prospects for fruit fly management were analyzed, and we highlight recommendations that will improve future studies.