The response of two Bactrocera species (Diptera: Tephritidae) to fruit volatiles

Abstract

Abstract Bactrocera dorsalis and B. correcta are serious pests of agricultural fruit crops. Both species are widely distributed in tropical and subtropical countries, especially in Asia. For integrated management of both Bactrocera species, understanding their olfactory behavior is vital for designing reliable control strategies. In this study, the response of female B. dorsalis and B. correcta adults to three main volatile components of fruits was evaluated using the Y-tube olfactometer. Our results showed that at higher concentrations all volatile components, except α-humulene and its combination with β-caryophyllene, attracted significantly more B. dorsalis than the untreated arm. For B. correcta, all the volatile components attracted significantly more females in the treated arm than the untreated arm. However, at 5% and 1% concentration, all the volatile components had similar attraction for B. dorsalis females. In the case of female B. correcta, the percentage of attraction was similar for all the individual volatile chemicals and their respective mixtures at 10% concentration. While, at 5% and 1% concentrations, the percentage of attraction was significantly higher for a mixture of β-caryophyllene and α-humulene than that of individual volatile components and all possible mixture of two and three volatile components. Based on the olfactometer results, this study concluded that 3-carene and the mixture of β-caryophyllene and α-humulene are strong attractants for female flies of B. dorsalis and B. correcta, respectively. This study might be helpful for the bait application against the female adults of B. dorsalis and B. correcta in farms and orchards.