Biology and management of cucurbit fruit fly Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) on sweet gourd

Abstract

The study was conducted to observe the biology and management practices of Bactrocera cucurbitae on sweet gourd. The results of the biology showed that the mean pre-oviposition, oviposition, incubation, larval and pupal period of B. cucurbitae were 11.25, 9.75, 0.81, 12.25 and 7.75 days, respectively. The mean adult longevity of male and female flies were 18.25 and 23.50 days, respectively. The female fly laid on an average 52.75 eggs. The average length of eggs, larvae, pupae, adult male and female were 1.48, 10.13, 6.00, 7.50 and 8.75 mm, respectively. Whereas, the mean breadth of eggs, larvae, pupae, adult male and female were 0.48, 3.38, 2.18, 3.25 and 5.50 mm, respectively. The mean length and breadth of adult male was 7.5 and 3.25 mm and adult female was 8.75 and 5.5 mm, respectively. The evaluation of different management practices revealed that the bagging of fruits in scaffold showed the lowest level of infestation. It was also lowest at different reproductive stages of plants. Significantly the lowest weight reduction per fruit and the highest edible portion of an infested fruit were obtained in the bagging of fruits in scaffold. The highest amount of yield was attained in the bagging treatment. Considering all these results, the study indicated that bagging of fruits in scaffold might be considered as a superior method in controlling fruit fly on sweet gourd.