Management of Melon Fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) Infesting Gherkin:An Areawide Control Programme Adopted in Peninsular India

An area-wide control (AWC) programme was undertaken for management of melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillet), in 3 km² area in Kashapura village of Gauribidanur taluk, Chickaballapura District, Karnataka State in peninsular India from 52^nd week of 2007 to 30^th week of 2010. Implementation of the AWC programme included field sanitation, male annihilation technique (MAT) through para-pheromone, Cue lure, and bait application technique (BAT). This AWC programme resulted in steady decline of melon fly population in the grid area, and corresponding reduction in per cent fruit fly infested gherkin fruits. In the AWC (grid) area, flies trapped per day (FTD) led to attaining suppression (1 to 0.1 FTD) and eradication levels (<0.1 FTD), which is acceptable to the Indian gherkin processing industry. Whereas, in the non-grid area, fruit fly populations perpetuated at infestation level (>1 FTD) during majority of weeks under observation.