Abstract

Author:
Paras Regmi , Prakash Bhattarai, Ananta Mani Bhattarai

Doi: 10.26480/sfna.01.2024.44.51

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License CC BY 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

Fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae), particularly the genus Bactrocera, are major pests of horticultural crops worldwide, causing significant economic losses. Effective monitoring and management of these pests are crucial for sustainable crop production. This study, conducted from March to May 2023, aimed to compare the efficacy of different baits in attracting and capturing fruit flies, specifically Bactrocera species, in cucumber fields at Rampur, Chitwan, Nepal. The study also aimed to identify the most effective bait for monitoring and management of these pests in the study area. Different types of baits, including commercially available lures (cue lure and methyl eugenol lure) and homemade lures (apple cider vinegar lure, banana pulp bait, local liquor lure, pumpkin lure and tulsi lure), were tested in field experiments designed in randomized complete block design with three replications. Lynfield traps baited with each lure were placed in the cucumber field and the number of trapped fruit flies was recorded. Similarly, the sex and the species of trapped fruit flies was also identified. Treatments were placed in the field two times at 15-day intervals. The effectiveness of each bait was compared based on the total number of flies captured along with the sex and species composition. At the end of the experiment, the cost of each trap was calculated. Data analysis was carried out using R Studio 4.3.0. The study revealed significant differences in the attractiveness of treatments for fruit flies. Two commercial lures, cue lure (59.33) and methyl eugenol (36.67) attracted the highest population of fruit flies, primarily males. Cue lure attracted fruit flies of the species Bactrocera (Zeugodacus) cucurbitae, Bactrocera (Zeugodacus) scutellaris and Bactrocera (Zeugodacus) tau while methyl eugenol lure attracted Bactrocera dorsalis and Bactrocera zonata species. Among other five different homemade baits, apple cider vinegar lure (19.33) showed the highest attraction of fruit flies followed by banana pulp bait (10.00). Similarly, the highest population of female fruit flies trapped was obtained with banana pulp bait followed by pumpkin lure. The study also identified different fruit fly species prevalent in the research area: Bactrocera (Zeugodacus) cucurbitae, Bactrocera (Zeugodacus) scutellaris, Bactrocera (Zeugodacus) tau, Bactrocera dorsalis and Bactrocera zonata with their specific preferences for certain baits. This study identified commercially available cue lure and homemade apple cider vinegar lure as promising baits for monitoring and managing fruit flies in the cucumber field in Rampur. Additionally, banana pulp demonstrated potential for attracting female flies. These findings offer alternative, potentially safer options for fruit flies control compared to traditional chemical pesticides.