Low environmental impact method for controlling the peach fruit fly, Bactrocera zonata (Saunders) and the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wied.), in mango orchards in Egypt

Abstract

The study was carried out at two experimental farms in Ismailia Governorate, Egypt, during season of 2015 and 2016. GF-120 (Conserve® 0.024% CB) was selected in this study to evaluate its efficacy for controlling the peach fruit fly, Bactrocera zonata (Saunders) and the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wied.), on mango fruits by using partial bait spray and spots method. GF-120 was used as low environmental impact method and new way to control B. zonata and C. capitata, compared with malathion 57%, as traditional insecticide. During both seasons, data revealed that the number of C. capitata captured weekly from different treatments and untreated plots was higher than the number of B. zonata captured in both seasons of experiment. Data revealed that the number males of B. zonata and C. capitata captured weekly from sticky traps were lower in trees treated with GF- 120 than malathion and untreated plots. In the farm of Faculty of Agriculture, Suez Canal University, the lowest percentages of infestation of both dropping and setting fruits per tree were recorded in plots treated with GF120 (spots), with an average of 25.14 and 17.022% for dropping fruits and 2.2 and 2.0% for setting fruits for 2015 and 2016 season, respectively. Data indicated that the all tested formulation under field condition caused significant reduction in the rate of infestation from 54.92 to 81.79 for both dropping and setting fruits. The lowest percentages of infestations in the private farm of both dropping and setting fruits per tree were recorded in GF-120 (spray treatment), with an average of 20.0, 12.12 for dropping fruits and 3.4 and 4.0 for setting fruits for 2015 and 2016 seasons, respectively.