Abstract
Diptera are among the most serious arthropod pests affecting mushroom crops. Phorid flies, especially Megaselia halterata, have traditionally been globally considered as a minor pest, although they are a very important problem on Spanish mushroom farms. The concerns with respect to the phorid fly populations have recently increased, notably jumping from being a minor to major pest in India, UK and the USA, where yield losses ranging between 10% and 40% were reported. This review updates and summarizes the available literature regarding mushroom phorid populations, stressing the natural distribution of phorids and their seasonal distribution, their biology within the growing substrates and the initial sources of infestation on mushroom farms. Moreover, the review also highlights the scarce available tools for their control and the current alternatives to chemical products.
Highlights
Mushroom crops are susceptible to a variety of pests and diseases that may affect the yield and quality of production [1,2]
Mushroom yield losses are either directly due to the larvae of mushroom flies feeding on the mycelia or carpophores, or to other pests and diseases vectored by these flies [7]
Kumar [40] observed that raw compost could repel adult female M. halterata, and that these flies were more attracted to 14-day-spawned substrates
Summary
Mushroom crops are susceptible to a variety of pests and diseases that may affect the yield and quality of production [1,2]. Dipteran species (phorid and sciarid flies) are among the main arthropod pests affecting the cultivation of A. bisporus throughout the world [3,4,5,6]. The sciarid biology and the incidence on mushroom crops, in addition to the pest control through chemical treatments and alternative biological methods, were reviewed [20]. During an 18-month-period survey conducted on 24 growing mushroom crops in the Castilla-La Mancha region (south-eastern Spain), a ratio of 4:1 between phorids (Megaselia halterara (Wood)) and sciarids (Lycoriella auripila Winnertz) were caught [26]. The review digs into the scarce tools available for their control and the alternatives to the chemical treatments currently applied
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