Abstract
Peach fruit fly, Bactrocera zonata (Saunders) (Diptera: Tiphritidae) is considered as one of the most economically important pests for several kinds of fruits and vegetables. In order to reduce the cost of male annihilation technique (MAT) for controlling B. zonata, dilution of methyl eugenol with paraffin oil had been evaluated to reduce the quantity of methyl eugenol. Five concentrations of methyl eugenol (10, 25, 50, 75 and 100%) were tested with three insecticides belonging to different groups of pesticides; fentrithion, spinosad and a mixture of thiamethoxam+abamactin. Methyl eugenol-fentrithion mixture at 100% of methyl eugenol showed that the weekly mean numbers of captured males all over 10 successive weeks were significantly higher (87.3 individuals/block) than those obtained at 75% (45.9), 50% (32.4), 25% (34.2) and 10% (9.0). There were no significant differences between concentrations 50, 75 and 100% of methyl eugenol in spinosad mixture, while their effects on captured males were significantly higher than that obtained when 10% and 25% were used. Mean numbers of captured males subjected to methyl eugenol-thiamethoxam+abamactin mixture averaged 8.8, 19.0, 24.9, 24.9 and 48.0 individuals/block at 10, 25, 50, 75 and 100%, respectively. Statistically, the mean number of captured males over the tested period at 100% of methyl eugenol was significantly higher than those obtained at 10, 25, 50 and 75%. Males of B. zonata were more attracted to methyl eugenol-spinosad mixture compared with methyl eugenol-(fentrithion and thiamethoxam+abamactin) mixtures. As a conclusion, dilution of methyl eugenol in paraffin oil till 50% in MAT by using spinosad (as an insecticide) did not significantly affect the captured males and had a high effect against B. zonata population.
Highlights
Pharmacology has been defined as the acquisition and accumulation of plant allelochemicals through feeding for specific purposes such as defense and sexual communication [1]
Dilution of methyl eugenol with paraffin oil in male annihilation technique was examined with respect to three insecticides belonging three different groups of insecticides
Responses of the tephritid fly, B. zonata to methyl eugenol-insecticide obviously varied according to methyl eugenol concentration
Summary
Pharmacology has been defined as the acquisition and accumulation of plant allelochemicals through feeding for specific purposes such as defense and sexual communication [1] This unique phenomenon occurs between insects and plant chemicals, which include lepidopterous insects-pyrrolizidine alkaloids [2], turnip sawflies-clerodendrins (triterpenoids) [3,4,5], diabroticite leaf beetles-cucurbitacins (triterpenoids) [3] and tephritid fruit fliesphenylpropanoids [3,6,7]. Male annihilation technique is one of the fruit fly control methods where it aims to remove male insects, reducing male population This disturbs the male: female ratio and reduces the insects’ chances of mating and these females produce few progeny. MAT was used successfully to eradicate the oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) in Rota [19], Saipan [20] and Okinawa [21]; Asian papaya fruit fly, Bactrocera papayae in Australia [22] and Bactrocera species in Nauru [23]
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