Abstract
The European cherry fruit fly, Rhagoletis cerasi (L.) (Diptera: Tephritidae), is a highly destructive pest. The low tolerance for damaged fruit requires preventive insecticide treatments for a marketable crop. The phase-out of old insecticides threatens cherry production throughout the European Union (EU). Consequently, new management techniques and tools are needed. With the increasing number of dwarf tree orchards covered against rain to avoid fruit splitting, crop netting has become a viable, cost-effective method of cherry fruit fly control. Recently, a biocontrol method using the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana has been developed for organic agriculture. However, for most situations, there is still a lack of efficient and environmentally sound insecticides to control this pest. This review summarizes the literature from over one hundred years of research on R. cerasi with focus on the biology and history of cherry fruit fly control as well as on antagonists and potential biocontrol organisms. We will present the situation of cherry fruit fly regulation in different European countries, give recommendations for cherry fruit fly control, show gaps in knowledge and identify future research opportunities.
Highlights
The European cherry fruit fly, Rhagoletis cerasi (L.) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is the most important pest of sweet cherries in Europe
The low tolerance level is the principal reason for preventive insecticide treatments
We summarize the biology and history of cherry fruit fly control as well as research on antagonists and potential biocontrol organisms
Summary
The European cherry fruit fly, Rhagoletis cerasi (L.) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is the most important pest of sweet cherries in Europe. Fly behavior plays a major role in locating mating partners: Due to their preference for host fruits in full sun, the flies aggregate in certain parts of the trees. In these circumstances, an elaborate long-range pheromone might be of minor importance [64]. Dispersal flights occur only in situations in which flies are deprived of suitable fruits for oviposition: Such as when cherries are destroyed by frost or early harvest or when all fruits are already marked with the host-marking pheromone [69]. Attraction of fruit flies to spherical objects is believed to represent a response to mating and oviposition site stimuli A higher percentage remains in diapause for an additional year more frequently in heavy clay soils than in sandy soils [36]
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