Melon Fly Research Articles

PRELIMINARY ACTIONS IN MAKING PHEROMONE CAPTURERS OF MELON FLY

The article presents information about fields of agricultural production of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, the increase of the requirement for food as a result of increasing the number of population. It was shown that it is important to synthesize pistil of the pest, which is the basic material, in making pheromone capturers of the most dangerous pest of agricultural crops – melon fly. In this, capturing instrument, collecting orders of worms and pupas with the help of protector small gardens were shown. KEYWORDS: melon fly, pistil pest, worm, pupa, capturer, small protecting gardens, collecting.

Infestation Rate and Abundance of Fruit Fly Species (Diptera, Tephritidae) on Solanum aethiopicum, Solanum lycopersicum, and Capsicum spp in Eastern of the Democratic Republic of Congo

This study assessing the infestation rate of fruit fly species on Solanum aethiopicum, Solanum lycopersicum, and Capsicum spp, using incubation method, was conducted in Agricultural entomology laboratory of Research Centre in Natural Sciences (CRSN) Lwiro, at Kabare in The South Kivu Province in eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Five species of Tephritidae flies observed, i.e. Bactrocera dorsalis, B. latifrons, Dacus bivitatus, Ceratitis capitata, and Zeugodacus Cucurbitae. The highest infestation rate was observed on B. dorsalis and following C. capitata in those solanaceous chilli pepper (C. frutescens), eggplant (S. aethiopicum) and tomato (S. lycopersicum) than Z. cucurbitae, B. latifrons and D. bivittatus. However, the localities Kamakombe, Buhandahanda, Lwiro, Bishibiru have predominant in the majority of hosts in chilli pepper, eggplant and tomato.

BIOECOLOGICAL DEVELOPING PECULIARITIES OF MELON FLY AND CONTROLLING ACTIONS

The article describes the development of biological and ecological features and harmfulness of melon fly on crops of melons in conditions of Karakalpakstan. It is studied the efficiency of the deep autumn plowing of soil against overwintering pests, special traps to kill the larvae and pupae, chemical treatments against the imaginal phase melon fly on crops of melon. The impact on the conservation of wild melon pest overwintered individuals. Recommended optimal protective measures in extreme conditions of Karakalpakstan. KEYWORDS. Melon fly, melon, pest, biological, chemical treatment efficacy.

Preference and performance of peach fruit fly (Bactrocera Zonata) and Melon fruit fly (Bactrocera Cucurbitae) under laboratory conditions

In Pakistan and all over the world, the Peach Fruit Fly (PFF), Bactrocera zonata (Saunders.) and the Melon Fruit Fly (MFF), Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett.) are considered severe and polyphagous insect pests for various fruits and vegetables. The current study was conducted to check the Laboratory preference and performance of B. cucurbitae and B. zonata on selected Fruits Citrus (Citrus sinensis), Apple (Malus domestica), Banana (Musa acuminate), and vegetable, Sponge gourd (luffa aegyptiaca), Bitter gourd (Momordica charantia) Pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata) under laboratory conditions. The study showed that Sponge Gourd was the preferable host with the mean pupae resurgence of (242.33), followed by Bitter Gourd (78.333) among selected vegetables. At the same time, among fruits, a banana was the preferable host with mean pupae resurgence (204.33), followed by orange (158.33). The pumpkin and apple was the least preferable host for both B. cucurbitae and B. zonata, with mean pupae resurgence (35.667) and (79.000), respectively. Furthermore, the study showed that Banana was the preferable host for B. Zonata among intact and infested fruits, whereas B. cucurbitaee showed the most preference to Bitter gourd among intact and infested vegetables showing significantly different results among intact and infested fruits and vegetables. Maximum number of eggs, pupa, female flies, male flies, adult emergence from pupa (flies) and period of pupa of B. zonata and B. cucurbitae on banana and bitter gourd. While, other fruits and vegetables showed the minimum number of eggs, pupa, female flies, male flies, adult emergence from pupa (flies) and period of the pupa. The current study concluded there is a need to evaluate other host plants against these fruit fly species for effective control.

Abundance and Diversity of Fruit Flies Species (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Bogor and Depok District

Fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) are important pests of horticultural crops. This study investigates the abundance and species richness of Bogor and Depok District as a center area horticulture commodity based on Cue Lure Trap. Each Cue Lure Trap was observed to record the abundance and species richness of fruit flies at seven days intervals from June until August 2021 in Bogor District (Babakan, Mekarsari and Parigi Mekar) and Depok District (Bedahan and Pancoran Mas), West Java, Indonesia. A total of 1,025 individuals were collected and consist of nine species of fruit fly i.e., Bactrocera albistrigata, B. carambolae, B. neocognata, B. verbascifoliae, Dacus conopsoides, D. longicornis, Zeugodacus calumniata, Z. caudatus, and Z. cucurbitae. The number of individuals of fruit flies was highest in the Bedahan, Depok District (F = 5.454, P = 0.002). Zeugodacus cucurbitae was the most abundant species (792 individuals), representing 77.27% of the specimens collected during the sampling period. The highest Shannon–Wiener diversity index of all fruit flies captured in this study was in Bedahan, Depok (1.11) and the lowest in Parigi Mekar, Bogor (0.23). A Bray–Curtis analysis showed that the species compositions of fruit flies on Bedahan and Parigi Mekar had a similarity of 70.1%.

Efficacy of some biopesticides for the management of cucurbit fruit fly (Bactrocera cucurbitae Coquillett) infesting bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria) in Barind tract of Bangladesh

An experiment was carried out to evaluate the efficiency of different biopesticides against the fruit fly infestation on bottle gourd. All of the treatments were effective compared to control. Among the treatments, Spinosad (Tracer 45 SC) performed the best based on minimum percent fruit infestation on both number and weight basis (30.71% & 32.64%) & highest percent protection of fruit over control (60.86% & 58.94%). Again, the highest marketable fruit yield (60.43 ton/ha) and percent yield increase of marketable fruit (70.46%) were also observed on Spinosad (Tracer 45 SC) treated plot. Based on the same parameters, Neem oil was inferior to Spinosad (Tracer 45 SC), which was followed by the treatment of Abamectin (Ambush 1.8 EC), Allamanda leaf extract and Mahogany oil. Thereby among all the treatments tested, Spinosad (Tracer 45 SC) may be suggested for cucurbit fruit fly management on bottle gourds.

Wing phenotypic plasticity, quantitative genetics, modularity, and phylogenetic signal analysis revealed the niche partitioning in two fruit fly species, Bactrocera dorsalis and Zeugodacus cucurbitae

Wing phenotypic plasticity, quantitative genetics, modularity, and phylogenetic signal analysis revealed the niche partitioning in two fruit fly species, Bactrocera dorsalis and Zeugodacus cucurbitae

Defensive Mechanisms in Cucurbits against Melon Fly (Bactrocera cucurbitae) Infestation through Excessive Production of Defensive Enzymes and Antioxidants.

Melon fly (Bactrocera cucurbitae) is the most common pest of cucurbits, and it directly causes damage to cucurbit fruits in the early developmental stage. The infection of fruit tissues induces oxidative damage through increased generation of cellular reactive oxygen species. The effects of melon fly infestation on the production of defensive enzymes and antioxidant capabilities in five cucurbit species, namely, bottle gourd, chayote, cucumber, snake gourd, and bitter gourd, were investigated in this study. The total phenolic and flavonoid content was considerably higher in melon fly infestation tissues compared to healthy and apparently healthy tissues. The chayote and bottle gourd tissues expressed almost 1.5- to 2-fold higher phenolic and flavonoid contents compared to the tissues of bitter gourd, snake gourd, and cucumber upon infestation. Defensive enzymes, such as peroxidase (POD), superoxide dismutase (SOD), polyphenol oxidase (PPO), and catalase (CAT), were high in healthy and infected tissues of chayote and bottle gourd compared to bitter gourd, snake gourd, and cucumber. The activity of POD (60–80%), SOD (30–35%), PPO (70–75%), and CAT (40–50%) were high in infected chayote and bottle gourd tissue, representing resistance against infestation, while bitter gourd, snake gourd, and cucumber exhibited comparatively lower activity suggesting susceptibility to melon fly infection. The antioxidant properties were also high in the resistant cucurbits compared to the susceptible cucurbits. The current research has enlightened the importance of redox-regulatory pathways involving ROS neutralization through infection-induced antioxidative enzymes in host cucurbit resistance. The melon fly infestation depicts the possible induction of pathways that upregulate the production of defensive enzymes and antioxidants as a defensive strategy against melon fly infestation in resistant cucurbits.

Fruit fly species diversity, population dynamics and infestation rate during fruiting season of snake gourd

A monitoring survey was conducted in snake gourd agro ecosystem during the fruiting season at Gangnapur, West Bengal, India to generate extensive data on fruit fly diversity, population dynamics, infestation rates and evaluate the effect of trapping on fruit fly infestation rates vis-à-vis benefit cost ratio of snake gourd cultivation. Methyl Eugenol and Cue Lure traps were used to assess the fruit fly species diversity. The number of adult male flies trapped was used to calculate fruit fly per trap per day and assess the population dynamics. Bactrocera dorsalis, Zeugodacus cucurbitae and Zeugodacus tau were the predominant fruit fly species during the fruiting season. Maximum species diversity and evenness estimates were registered by Methyl Eugenol traps. Species richness estimates for Cue Lure and Methyl Eugenol traps during the entire experiment are analogous due to the trapping of two different types of fruit fly species. Zeugodacus cucurbitae is the most abundant species in the snake gourd ecosystem and dominated the community of fruit flies throughout the study. Fruit fly per trap per day values indicated that the Gangnapur area is at infestation level, for Zeugodacus cucurbitae and Bactrocera dorsalis, while, for Zeugodacus tau the area is at suppression level. The rate of infestation varied from 6.93 % to 44.09 %. Farmers with traps in their fields reported a benefit cost ratio of 0.73 to 4.63, while the no-trap group reported 0.34 to 1.56. This study at Gangnapur has proven the beneficial effect of trapping on the benefit cost ratio of snake gourd cultivation.

Including Host Availability and Climate Change Impacts on the Global Risk Area of Carpomya pardalina (Diptera: Tephritidae)

Fruit flies are a well-known invasive species, and climate-based risk modeling is used to inform risk analysis of these pests. However, such research tends to focus on already well-known invasive species. This paper illustrates that appropriate risk modeling can also provide valuable insights for flies which are not yet “on the radar.”Carpomya pardalinais a locally important cucurbit-infesting fruit fly of western and central Asia, but it may present a risk to other temperate countries where melons are grown. MaxEnt models were used to map the risk area for this species under historical and future climate conditions averaged from three global climate models under two shared socio-economic pathways in 2030 and 2070 from higher climate sensitivity models based on the upcoming 2021 IPCC sixth assessment report. The results showed that a total of 47.64% of the world’s land mass is climatically suitable for the fly; it could establish widely around the globe both under current and future climates with host availability. Our MaxEnt modeling highlights particularly that Western China, Russia, and other European countries should pay attention to this currently lesser-known melon fly and the melons exported from the present countries. The current and expanding melon trade could offer direct invasion pathways to those regions. While this study offers specific risk information onC. pardalina, it also illustrates the value of applying climate-based distribution modeling to species with limited geographic distributions.

Anti-insect and antimicrobial effects of peptidase inhibitor partially purified from the seeds of Psoralea corylifolia

Plant peptidase inhibitors have evolved to play a strong defensive role toward phytophagous insect pests. Peptidase inhibitor was partially purified from Psoralea corylifolia seeds of leguminaceae family by ammonium sulphate precipitation (20–80%) followed by dialysis with inhibitory activity against 64–72 h old larvae of Bactrocera cucurbitae. Different concentrations of the inhibitor (200, 400, 600, 800 and 1000 ppm) had a deleterious effect on the growth and development of the melon fruit fly larvae. The larval period, pupal period, and the total development period prolonged significantly, while percentage pupation and percentage adult emergence were drastically reduced. Nutritional indices viz. Mean Relative Growth Rate (MRGR) and Food Assimilated (FA) with respect to control were significantly lowered in treated larvae than in control. The inhibitory effect of peptidase inhibitor partially purified from P. corylifolia seeds increased significantly with an increase in the concentration of the inhibitor. It was also active against different strains of bacteria. These results show the potential of peptidase inhibitor partially purified from P. corylifolia seeds in insect pest control which can be used for improving plant protection.

Invasive potential of tropical fruit flies in temperate regions under climate change

Tropical fruit flies are considered among the most economically important invasive species detected in temperate areas of the United States and the European Union. Detections often trigger quarantine and eradication programs that are conducted without a holistic understanding of the threat posed. Weather-driven physiologically-based demographic models are used to estimate the geographic range, relative abundance, and threat posed by four tropical tephritid fruit flies (Mediterranean fruit fly, melon fly, oriental fruit fly, and Mexican fruit fly) in North and Central America, and the European-Mediterranean region under extant and climate change weather (RCP8.5 and A1B scenarios). Most temperate areas under tropical fruit fly propagule pressure have not been suitable for establishment, but suitability is predicted to increase in some areas with climate change. To meet this ongoing challenge, investments are needed to collect sound biological data to develop mechanistic models to predict the geographic range and relative abundance of these and other invasive species, and to put eradication policies on a scientific basis.

Life Table of Bactrocera zonata (Saunders) (Diptera: Tephritidae) for Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) in Mauritius

Fruit flies (Tephritidae) have been reported to be a serious pest worldwide. In Mauritius, the major fruit fly species of economic and quarantine importance in agricultural production are Bactrocera zonata (Saunders), Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Coquillett) and Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel). In line with the government's policy for sustainable and organic agriculture under the challenge of climate change, the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) is being investigated as an alternative to chemical control. For successful cost-effective SIT programme island-wide, the production of competitive and sterile individuals for release is a key requirement. The aim of this study was to investigate the life cycle parameters of B. zonata to evaluate the feasibility of optimum mass rearing of this species. It was observed that B. zonata has a pre-oviposition period of 8 days, an oviposition duration of 51 days, the number of eggs per female along the complete oviposition period was 705 eggs and the peak egg hatchability varied from 88.5 to 91.5 %. The study showed that egg collection could be started as from day 13. The findings demonstrated that 5 weeks of egg collection is optimal for a rearing facility of B. zonata and production cages should be discarded on day 41. It was found that B. zonata has a net reproductive rate of 300.04 females and a mean generation time of 28.73 days. Given a positive Ro and a short T, it can be concluded that mass rearing of B. zonata is economically viable. Within a short period a laboratory population of this species for mass rearing can be established.

60Co-γ Radiation Alters Developmental Stages of Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Diptera: Tephritidae) Through Apoptosis Pathways Gene Expression.

Radiation is considered as a promising insect pest control strategy for minimizing postharvest yield losses. Among various techniques, irradiation is a method of choice as it induces lethal biochemical or molecular changes that cause a downstream cascade of abrupt physiological abnormalities at the cellular level. In this study, we evaluated the effect of 60Co-γ radiation on various developmental stages of Zeugodacus cucurbitae Coquillett and subsequent carry-over effects on the progeny. For this purpose, we treated eggs with 30- and 50-Gy radiation doses of 60Co-γ. We found that radiation significantly affected cellular antioxidants, insect morphology, and gene expression profiles. Our results indicate that in response to various doses of irradiation reactive oxygen species, catalase, peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase activities were increased along with a significant increase in the malondialdehyde (MDA) content. We observed higher mortality rates during the pupal stage of the insects that hatched from irradiated eggs (50 Gy). Furthermore, the life span of the adults was reduced in response to 50 Gy radiation. The negative effects carried over to the next generation were marked by significantly lower fecundity in the F1 generation of the irradiation groups as compared to control. The radiation induced morphological abnormalities at the pupal, as well as the adult, stages. Furthermore, variations in the gene expression following irradiation are discussed. Taken together, our results signify the utility of 60Co-γ radiation for fruit fly postharvest management.

Effect of gamma irradiation on quality parameters, sterility and mating competitiveness of melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett)

Effect of gamma irradiation on quality parameters, sterility and mating competitiveness of melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett)

Spinosad resistance in field populations of melon fly, Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Coquillett), in Hawaii.

BACKGROUNDControl of Zeugodacus cucurbitae, a serious agricultural pest worldwide, often includes or is dependent on the use of spinosad‐based insecticides. This is especially the case in Hawaii, where GF‐120, a protein bait containing spinosad as the active ingredient, has been in use as a key integrated pest management (IPM) tool against this Tephritid for the last two decades. Here, we report on resistance to spinosad [resistance ratios (RRs) and median lethal concentration (LC50)] in Hawaii's populations of Z. cucurbitae.RESULTSHigh resistance was found in populations from three farms on Oahu (RR = 102–303; LC50 = 191–567 mg L–1) and in a population from Maui (RR = 8.50; LC50 = 15.9 mg L–1). These will be problematic for control given that the most concentrated dilution ratio on the GF‐120 label is 96 mg L–1 of spinosad (1 part GF‐120 to 1.5 parts water). Background resistance in a naïve wild population from the Island of Hawaii (RR = 2.73; LC50 = 5.1 mg L–1) was relatively low compared with a spinosad‐susceptible laboratory colony (LC50 = 1.87 mg L–1). Resistance in the three Oahu and one Maui populations declined over generations in the absence of spinosad but remained elevated in some cases. Moreover, melon flies collected from one of the Oahu farms 1 year after the cessation of spinosad use revealed high persistence of resistance.CONCLUSIONCompared with a 2008 survey of spinosad resistance, our findings indicate a 34‐fold increase in resistance on one of the Oahu farms over 9 years. The evolution and persistence of high levels of resistance to spinosad in Z. cucurbitae in Hawaii highlights the need for alternative control tactics, particularly rotation of active ingredients. © 2021 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Fruit fly surveillance in Togo (West Africa): state of diversity and prevalence of species

The production and marketing of fruits, especially mango, in sub-Saharan Africa are threatened by fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae). This baseline study analysed the biodiversity of fruit fly species, in mango orchards, in different ecological zones of Togo. Traps used to monitor the flies in the orchards consisted of dry baits, made from four types of parapheromones specific to the males of different species. Forty species of fruit flies were identified in the mango orchards in Togo. The most common species were Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel), Ceratitis cosyra (Walker), Ceratitis fasciventris (Bezzi), Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), Ceratitis bremii Guérin-Méneville, Dacus bivittatus (Bigot), Dacus humeralis (Bezzi), Dacus punctatifrons Karsch and Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Coquillett). The invasive B. dorsalis and the endogenous species, C. cosyra were dominant in the mango producing areas of Togo because their prevalence were very high (B. dorsalis: 2.1 ≤ flies per trap per day (FTD) ≤ 472.2; C. cosyra: 0.34 ≤ FTD ≤ 97.28). There was no area free from fruit flies in Togo during the study. These results constitute an essential reference in the future evaluation of the effectiveness of any control activities initiated in Togo against fruit flies.

Lnc94638 is a testis-specific long non-coding RNA involved in spermatozoa formation in Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Coquillett).

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) generally display tissue-specific distributions, and testis-specific lncRNAs form the highest proportion of lncRNAs in many species. Here, we presented a detailed analysis of testis-specific lncRNAs in the melon fly, Zeugodacus cucurbitae, a highly destructive insect pest of cucurbitaceous and other related crops. Most testis-specific lncRNAs were found to be long intergenic non-coding RNAs (lincRNA). The size distribution of these lncRNAs ranged between 600 and 1000 nucleotides. Testis-specific lncRNAs that harboured one isoform number and two exons were the most abundant. Compared to other male tissues, the testis had more highly expressed lncRNAs. The quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction results of 10 randomly selected testis-specific lncRNAs showed expression patterns consistent with RNA-seq data. Further analysis of the most highly expressed testis-specific lncRNA, lnc94638, was undertaken. Fluorescent in situ hybridization assays localized lnc94638 to the apical region of the testis that contains mature spermatozoa. RNA interference-mediated knockdown of lnc94638 expression reduced spermatozoa numbers and impaired the fertility of Z. cucurbitae male. This study provides a catalogue of testis-specific lncRNAs, shows that the testis-specific lnc94638 is involved in spermatogenesis and has the potential to be used for treating male sterility.

Age-dependent response of female melon fly, Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Diptera: Tephritidae), to volatiles emitted from damaged host fruits

• We quantified attraction of Zeugodacus cucurbitae to induced host-plant volatiles. • Female age and type of olfactory cues influenced Zeugodacus cucurbitae behavior. • Induced volatiles involved in Zeugodacus cucurbitae attraction are short-lived. In many insect species including fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae), the behavioral responses to volatiles emitted by their host plants can be modulated by environmental conditions and by the physiological state of the insect. Here, we quantified (1) the effects of female age on the attraction of female melon fly, Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Diptera: Tephritidae) to volatiles emitted by intact and mechanically damaged tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum ), eggplant ( S. melongena ), zucchini ( Cucurbita pepo ), bitter melon ( Momordica charantia ), and cucumber ( Cucumis sativus ) fruit, and (2) the influence of time elapsed since fruit damage on the outcome. The investigations were conducted under semi-natural conditions in Hawai’i. Results from the first experiment revealed that, for freshly damaged tomato, eggplant, and zucchini, the level of female response was comparatively low and was not affected by female age. For bitter melon and cucumber, higher levels of response to freshly damaged fruit were documented, and the response levels gradually increased as female age increased from 1 to 4 weeks, reaching 70% for 4-week-old females exposed to cucumber odor. Results from our second experiment indicated that, on average, 56% of the females released responded in 20 min when cucumbers were freshly sliced, and the level of response was reduced 6-fold within a couple of hours. Females did not respond to tomato and cucumber odor when fruits were damaged >8 h before testing. Fruit volatiles involved in female Z. cucurbitae attraction seem to be released shortly upon mechanical damage and they are short-lived. The plasticity of the olfaction-driven behavior observed in Z. cucurbitae depending on female age and on the strength of the olfactory cues associated with preferred and less preferred hosts, adds another dimension to our understanding of the host-seeking behavior of this invasive species.

Selection for age at reproduction changes pre‐mating period and mating frequency in Zeugodacus cucurbitae: impacts on insect quality control

AbstractIn the mass‐rearing of insects for sterile insect technique (SIT), it is important to maintain the quality of mass‐reared males so that they can compete with wild males in mating with wild females. Mass‐reared insects sometimes have shorter pre‐mating periods and higher mating frequencies than their wild conspecifics. Indeed, this was the case for mass‐reared individuals of the melon fly, Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Coquillett) (Diptera: Tephritidae), used in the SIT program to eradicate the melon fly on the Southwest Islands of Japan. Therefore, I hypothesized that divergent artificial selection for age at reproduction altered these traits in the melon fly as well. To examine the effects of eggs produced by younger parents on each generation, six artificially selected lines were established, for which eggs were collected from young (Y lines) and old (O lines) females. Then, the pre‐mating periods and mating frequencies in males and females of the selected lines were compared. The results show a decreased pre‐mating period and an increased mating frequency in younger lines compared to older lines, which was driven by males rather than females. These traits ensure efficient offspring production in mass‐rearing, and are likely advantageous to the success of SIT programs. The impact of artificially selecting for these traits, especially in males, on insect quality and the efficiency of SIT is discussed.