Intensity of Infestation by Fruit Flies on Traditionally Grown ("gerif") Snake melon (Cucumis melo var. flexuosus) and Squash (Cucurbita pepo) in Khartoum State By Ekhlas Ahmed Fadelmola Mohammed B.Sc. (Agric) Honours University of Khartoum 2002 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of M.Sc. Crop Protection Supervisor Dr. Kamal Mowafi Abdel Fattah Department of Crop Protection Faculty of Agriculture University of Khartoum May 2008 Dedication To my Mother Ekhlas... i ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Thanks firstly to the great Alla. Sincere thanks to my supervisor Dr. Kamal Mowafi Abdel Fattah for his help throughout this study. Special thanks are due to Sharaf Eldeen Dawood, Director General of Plant Protection Directorate, who gives me this chance. Iam also greatful to Dr. Eltigani Eltahir, Dr. Elwasila Gadura, Professor Saad Abbady and Professor Abdalla Mohammed, Department of Horticulture. My deep thanks are to my husband, family, friends, colleagues, farmers and the many who helped me. ii LIST OF CONTENTS Title page Dedication......................................................................................... i Acknowledgements........................................................................... ii List of Contents................................................................................. iii List of Tables..................................................................................... v List of Figures.................................................................................... vi List of Plates………………………………………………………… vii Abstract.............................................................................................. viii Arabic abstract.................................................................................... ix CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION............................................ 1 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW................................ 4 2.1. Introduction..................................................................................... 4 2.2. Dacus ciliatus (Loew)..................................................................... 5 2.3. Description..................................................................................... 6 2.3.1. Dacus ciliatus (Loew)................................................................. 6 2.3.2. Dacus vertebratus (Bezzi)........................................................... 6 2.4. Geographical distribution............................................................... 7 2.5. Host range........................................................................................ 8 2.6. Damage........................................................................................... 10 2.7. Life history...................................................................................... 10 2.8. Influence of biotic and abiotic factors on distribution of fruit flies 14 2.8.1. Temperature............................................................................... 14 2.8.2. Humidity.................................................................................... 15 2.8.3. Host plants................................................................................. 15 2.8.4. Natural enemies........................................................................ 16 2.9. Strategies for integrated management of melon fruit fly................. 17 2.9.1. Bagging of fruit......................................................................... 17 iii 2.9.2. Field sanitation.......................................................................... 17 2.9.3. Monitoring and control with pheromone..................................... 18 2.9.4. Biological control...................................................................... 19 2.9.5. Host plant resistance.................................................................. 20 2.9.6. Chemical control..................................................................... 21 2.9.7. Male-sterile technique................................................................ 21 2.9.8. Quarantine................................................................................ 22 CHAPTER THREE: MATERIALS AND METHODS.................................... 23 3.1. Fields surveyed............................................................................ 23 3.2. Intensity of infestation................................................................. 23 3.3. Species identification.................................................................... 25 3.4. Effect of temperature and moiture on the development of the cucurbit fly larvae (days).............................................................. 25 3.5. Exposure of the cucurbit flies pupae to the sunlight................. 26 CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS........................................................................... 30 4.1. Intensity of infestation................................................................ 30 4.1.1. Intensity of infestation by fruit fly in snake melon.................. 30 4.1.2. Intensity of infestation by fruit fly in squash ........................... 30 4.2. Species identification ................................................................. 30 4.3. Effect of temperature and moisture on the development of the cucurbit fly larvae (days)............................................................... 30 4.4. Effect of sunlight on the mortality of cucurbit flies pupae.............. 31 CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION......................................................................... 39 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS................................................. 43 REFERENCES…………….................................................................................. 45 iv LIST OF TABLES Title Page Table 1: Intensity of infestation by fruit fly in snake melon at Aburoof and Eljumoeya area.................................................................. 32 Table 2: Intensity of infestation by fruit fly in squash at Aburoof and Khartoum area........................................................................ 34 Table 3: Effect of temperature and moisture on the development of the cucurbit fly larvae (days)......................................................... 36 Table 4: Effect of sunlight on the mortality of cucurbit flies ............. 38 v LIST OF FIGURES Title Page Figure 1: Intensity of infestation by fruit fly in snake melon at Aburoof and Eljumoeya area.............................................................. 33 Figure 2: Intensity of infestation by fruit fly in squash at Aburoof and Khartoum area..................................................................... 35 Figure 3: Effect of temperature and moisture on the development of the cucurbit fly larvae (days)..................................................... 37 vi LIST OF PLATES Title Page Plate 1: The cage.................................................................................... 27 Plate 2: The pupae.................................................................................. 28 Plate 3: The adult.................................................................................... 29 vii ABSTRACT A survey was carried out in the traditional cultivation areas ("gerif") on banks of the Nile (Aljamoia), the Blue Nile (near the University of Khartoum) and the White Nile (Aburoof) to study the infestation of the cucurbit fruit flies Dacus spp on snake melon and squash. The infestation level on snake melon ranged 4.35-9.03% at Aburoof area and 14.63-26.41% at Aljamoia area. The infestation level on squash crop ranged 0-1.17% at Aburoof area and 0-0.2 % at Khartoum area. Collection of infestation samples of snake melon, squash and melon from Aburoof, Blue Nile, Eljumoeya, Sleit and Amdoum revealed that the infesting fruit flies is identification as Dacus ciliatus only, according to the Agricultural Research Corporation-Wad Madani. The study of the effect of sunlight on the pupae of the fruit fly Dacus ciliatus, mortality of the pupae the increased with the increase of exposure time. It is found that high tempreture and moisture excaralated the larval development in the black plastick bages (2.67 days) compared with the rearing cages (6.67 days). viii ﻤﻠﺨﺹ ﺍﻷﻁﺭﻭﺤﺔ ﺃﺠﺭﻱ ﻤﺴﺢ ﺤﻘﻠﻲ ﺒﻤﻨﺎﻁﻕ ﺍﻟﺯﺭﺍﻋﺔ ﺍﻟﺘﻘﻠﻴﺩﻴﺔ (ﺍﻟﺠﺭﻭﻑ) ﻋﻠﻰ ﻀﻔﺘﻲ ﺍﻟﻨﻴـل ﺍﻷﺒـﻴﺽ (ﺍﻟﺠﻤﻭﻋﻴﺔ) ﻭﺍﻟﻨﻴل ﺍﻷﺯﺭﻕ (ﺒﺎﻟﻘﺭﺏ ﻤﻥ ﺠﺎﻤﻌﺔ ﺍﻟﺨﺭﻁﻭﻡ ) ﻭﻨﻬﺭ ﺍﻟﻨﻴل (ﺃﺒﻭﺭﻭﻑ) ﻟﺩﺭﺍﺴﺔ ﻜﺜﺎﻓﺔ ﺁﻓﺔ ﺫﺒﺎﺒﺔ ﻓﺎﻜﻬﺔ ﺍﻟﻘﺭﻋﻴﺎﺕ .Dacus spp ﻋﻠﻲ ﻤﺤﺼﻭﻟﻲ ﺍﻟﻌﺠﻭﺭ ﻭﺍﻟﻜﻭﺴﺔ. ﻭﺠﺩ ﺃﻥ ﻤﺴﺘﻭﻯ ﺍﻹﺼﺎﺒﺔ ﻋﻠﻰ ﻤﺤﺼﻭل ﺍﻟﻌﺠﻭﺭ ﻴﺘﺭﺍﻭﺡ ﺒـﻴﻥ 4.35-9.03 % ﻓـﻲ ﻤﻨﻁﻘﺔ ﺃﺒﻭ ﺭﻭﻑ ﻭ 14.63-26.63% ﻓﻲ ﻤﻨﻁﻘﺔ ﺍﻟﺠﻤﻭﻋﻴﺔ . ﻭﻤﺴﺘﻭﻯ ﺍﻹﺼﺎﺒﺔ ﻓﻲ ﻤﺤـﺼﻭل ﺍﻟﻜﻭﺴﺔ ﻴﺘﺭﺍﻭﺡ ﺒﻴﻥ 0-1.17% ﺒﻤﻨﻁﻘﺔ ﺃﺒﻭﺭﻭﻑ ﻭ 0-0.2 % ﺒﻤﻨﻁﻘﺔ ﺍﻟﺨﺭﻁﻭﻡ. ﺘﻡ ﺠ ﻤﻊ ﻋﻴﻨﺎﺕ ﻤﻥ ﺍﻟﺜﻤﺎﺭ ﺍﻟﻤﺼﺎﺒﺔ ﻟﻤﺤﺼﻭل ﺍﻟﻌﺠﻭﺭ ، ﺍﻟﻜﻭﺴﺔ ﻭﺍﻟﺸﻤﺎﻡ ﻤـﻥ ﻤﻨـﺎﻁﻕ ﺃﺒﻭﺭﻭﻑ،ﺍﻟﻨﻴل ﺍﻷﺯﺭﻕ (ﺒﺎﻟﻘﺭﺏ ﻤﻥ ﺠﺎﻤﻌﺔ ﺍﻟﺨﺭﻁﻭﻡ )، ﺍﻟﺠﻤﻭﻋﻴﺔ، ﺍﻟـﺴﻠﻴﺕ ﻭﺃﻡ ﺩﻭﻡ ﻟﻴﻭﻀـﺢ ﺘﺼﻨﻴﻑ ﺍﻵﻓﺔ Dacus ciliatus . ﻜﻤﺎ ﺘﻡ ﺘﺼﻨﻴﻔﻬﺎ ﻓﻲ ﻫﻴﺌﺔ ﺍﻟﺒﺤﻭﺙ ﺍﻟﺯﺭﺍﻋﻴﺔ ﺒﻤﺩﻨﻲ. ﻭﺠﺩ ﺘﺄﺜﺭ ﺃﺸﻌﺔ ﺍﻟﺸﻤﺱ ﻋﻠﻰ ﻋﺫﺍﺭﻯ ﺫﺒﺎﺒﺔ ﺍﻟﻔﺎﻜﻬﺔ Dacus ciliatus , ﻤﻭﺕ ﺍﻟﻌﺫﺍﺭﻯ ﻴﺯﺩﺍﺩ ﺒﺯﻴﺎﺩﺓ ﻓﺘﺭﺓ ﺍﻟﺘﻌﺭﺽ. ﻭﺠﺩ ﺃﻥ ﺍﺭﺘﻔﺎﻉ ﺩﺭﺠﺔ ﺍﻟﺤﺭﺍﺭﺓ ﻭﺍﻟﺭﻁﻭﺒﺔ ﻴﺴﺭﻉ ﻓﻲ ﻨﻤﻭ ﻴﺭﻗﺎﺕ ﺍﻟﺤﺸﺭﺓ ﻓﻲ ﺍﻷﻜﻴـﺎﺱ ﺍﻟﺒﻼﺴﺘﻴﻜﻴﺔ ﺍﻟﺴﻭﺩﺍﺀ (2.67 ﻴﻭﻡ) ﻤﻘﺎﺭﻨﺔ ﺒﺄﻗﻔﺎﺹ ﺍﻟﺘﺭﺒﻴﺔ (6.67 ﻴﻭﻡ). ix i ii iii iv v vi vii viii ix CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION Fresh vegetables could contribute greatly to the economy of the Sudan. Sudan can produce and export a number of fresh vegetables to the European and other markets, which will provide a good source of foreign currency. This is because of the availability of vast arable land, reasonable supply of irrigation water and a varied suitable