Area-wide Integrated Management of Fruit Flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) Pest in Vegetables Cultivation

Vegetable crops hold a key position in agricultural production worldwide, and the Asian regions such as East, Southeast and South are among the top regions for their exports and imports. However, many pests and diseases threaten the profitability of this agricultural sector, and improving the productivity and quality of vegetables can enhance food security, employment and trade opportunities. Fruit flies particularly melon fly Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillet) (Diptera: Tephritidae) are among the most important pests of solanaceous and cucurbit crops, and losses of as much as 100% of host harvests can be frequently observed without pest control. The melon fruit fly B. cucurbitae can successfully be managed over a local area by bagging fruits, field sanitation, protein baits, cue-lure traps, growing fruit fly-resistant genotypes, augmentation of biocontrol agents and insecticides. The control methods used independently have not been successful to effectively control tephritid fly populations. Therefore, the area wide management program involves the coordination of different characteristics of a fly eradication program (including local area options) over an entire area within a defensible perimeter and subsequently protected against reinvasion by quarantine controls. A more integrated approach is also required by taking into account the landscape habitats, especially wild plants, whose role must be considered within a framework of an agro-ecological management of these pest populations.