Fruit fly: Bactrocera (Dacus) dorsalis
Symptoms of damage:
- Maggot bore into semi-ripen fruits with decayed spots and dropping of fruits.
- Oozing of fluid
- Brownish rotten patches on fruits.
Identification of pest:
- Larva – Yellowish apodous maggots.
- Adult – Light brown with transparent wing
Management:
- Collect fallen infested fruits and dispose them by dumping in a pit
- Provide summer ploughing to expose the pupa
- Monitor the activity of flies with methyl eugenol sex lure traps.
- Bait spray – combine any one of the insecticides and molasses or jaggery 10 g/l,
- malathion 50EC 2 ml/l,
- Dimethoate 30 EC 1 ml/l,
- carbaryl 50 WP 4 g/l. two rounds at 2 weeks interval before ripening of fruits.
Biological control
- Field release of natural enemies Opius compensates and Spalangia philippi.
Source-
- TamilNadu Agritech Portal
