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Abstract Background Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) (Diptera: Tephritidae) infestation poses a serious risk to bitter gourd cultivation. Traditionally, B. cucurbitae has been controlled using synthetic pesticides, which have drawbacks such as non-target toxicity and pest resistance. Entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) provide concentrated ecological alternatives, which support ongoing pest reduction and sustainable agriculture by adhering to Integrated Pest Management principles. Therefore, EPF provides a viable alternative for chemical control of B. cucurbitae, addressing its shortcomings and promoting environmentally friendly pest control technology. This study evaluated the effectiveness of entomo-vectored horizontal transmission devices (EV-HTD) against B. cucurbitae in bitter gourd fields, focusing on GF-120 and Butanone acetate. Assessment parameters include converting fruit infestation data into yield loss per plant, marketable fruit yield per plant, marketable yield per hectare, and yield loss per hectare. Results The highest mean percentage of entomo-vectored B. cucurbitae (70.50%) was found in plots treated with Butanone acetate + B. bassiana-based EV-HTD. This was followed by GF-120 + B. bassiana-based EV-HTD (66.18%), Butanone acetate + M. anisopliae-based EV-HTD (58.95%), and GF-120 + M. anisopliae-based EV-HTD (54.78%). The Butanone acetate + B. bassiana-based EV-HTD produced the highest mean number of spores per B. cucurbitae (7.80 spores/cm2), while the other treatments produced low spore counts. Plots treated with Butanone acetate + B. bassiana-based EV-HTD had the highest percentage mortality of B. cucurbitae (81.20%). The percentage of fruit infestation varied between 9.00 and 34.00%, with the least amount of infestation seen in plots treated with B. bassiana + Butanone acetate. There were minimal yield losses in Butanone acetate. The Butanone acetate + B. bassiana-based EV-HTD showed the lowest yield losses (66.66 g/plant), while the other treatments showed high losses. Plots treated with Butanone acetate + B. bassiana-based EV-HTD had the highest marketable yield per plant (673.87 g/plant), while yields in control treatments were low. Plots treated with Butanone acetate + B. bassiana-based EV-HTD had the highest marketable yield (2217.85 kg/ha). Lastly, plots treated with Butanone acetate + B. bassiana-based EV-HTD (219.40 kg/ha) showed the lowest yield losses per hectare. Conclusions According to the study’s findings, Butanone acetate-based EV-HTD was more successful than GF-120. Furthermore, B. bassiana was more effective at controlling B. cucurbitae than M. anisopliae. With a maximum cost–benefit ratio of 14.99, the treatment Butanone acetate + B. bassiana was shown to be the most advantageous economically, suggesting its potential for use in practical pest management techniques.

Background: Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) (Diptera: Tephritidae) infestation poses a serious risk to bitter gourd cultivation. Traditionally, B. cucurbitae has been controlled using synthetic pesticides, which have drawbacks such as non-target toxicity and pest resistance. Entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) provide concentrated ecological alternatives, which support ongoing pest reduction and sustainable agriculture by adhering to Integrated Pest Management principles. Therefore, EPF provides a viable alternative for chemical control of B. cucurbitae, addressing its shortcomings and promoting environmentally friendly pest control technology. This study evaluated the effectiveness of entomo-vectored horizontal transmission devices (EV-HTD) against B. cucurbitae in bitter gourd fields, focusing on GF-120 and Butanone acetate. Assessment parameters include converting fruit infestation data into yield loss per plant, marketable fruit yield per plant, marketable yield per hectare, and yield loss per hectare. Results: The highest mean percentage of entomo-vectored B. cucurbitae (70.50%) was found in plots treated with Butanone acetate + B. bassiana-based EV-HTD. This was followed by GF-120 + B. bassiana-based EV-HTD (66.18%), Butanone acetate + M. anisopliae-based EV-HTD (58.95%), and GF-120 + M. anisopliae-based EV-HTD (54.78%). The Butanone acetate + B. bassiana-based EV-HTD produced the highest mean number of spores per B. cucurbitae (7.80 spores/cm2), while the other treatments produced low spore counts. Plots treated with Butanone acetate + B. bassiana-based EV-HTD had the highest percentage mortality of B. cucurbitae (81.20%). The percentage of fruit infestation varied between 9.00 and 34.00%, with the least amount of infestation seen in plots treated with B. bassiana + Butanone acetate. There were minimal yield losses in Butanone acetate. The Butanone acetate + B. bassiana-based EV-HTD showed the lowest yield losses (66.66 g/plant), while the other treatments showed high losses. Plots treated with Butanone acetate + B. bassiana-based EV-HTD had the highest marketable yield per plant (673.87 g/plant), while yields in control treatments were low. Plots treated with Butanone acetate + B. bassiana-based EV-HTD had the highest marketable yield (2217.85 kg/ha). Lastly, plots treated with Butanone acetate + B. bassiana-based EV-HTD (219.40 kg/ha) showed the lowest yield losses per hectare. Conclusions: According to the study's findings, Butanone acetate-based EV-HTD was more successful than GF-120. Furthermore, B. bassiana was more effective at controlling B. cucurbitae than M. anisopliae. With a maximum cost–benefit ratio of 14.99, the treatment Butanone acetate + B. bassiana was shown to be the most advantageous economically, suggesting its potential for use in practical pest management techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant peptidase inhibitors have evolved to play a strong defensive role toward phytophagous insect pests. Peptidase inhibitor was partially purified from Psoralea corylifolia seeds of leguminaceae family by ammonium sulphate precipitation (20–80%) followed by dialysis with inhibitory activity against 64–72 h old larvae of Bactrocera cucurbitae. Different concentrations of the inhibitor (200, 400, 600, 800 and 1000 ppm) had a deleterious effect on the growth and development of the melon fruit fly larvae. The larval period, pupal period, and the total development period prolonged significantly, while percentage pupation and percentage adult emergence were drastically reduced. Nutritional indices viz. Mean Relative Growth Rate (MRGR) and Food Assimilated (FA) with respect to control were significantly lowered in treated larvae than in control. The inhibitory effect of peptidase inhibitor partially purified from P. corylifolia seeds increased significantly with an increase in the concentration of the inhibitor. It was also active against different strains of bacteria. These results show the potential of peptidase inhibitor partially purified from P. corylifolia seeds in insect pest control which can be used for improving plant protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) (Tephritidae: Diptera), is an invasive pest that poses a significant threat to agriculture in Africa and other regions. Flies are known to use their olfactory systems to recognise environmental chemical cues. However, the molecular components of the chemosensory system of B. cucurbitae are poorly characterised. To address this knowledge gap, we have used nextgeneration sequencing to analyse the antenna transcriptomes of sexually immature B. cucurbitae adults. The results have identified 160 potential chemosensory genes, including 35 odourant-binding proteins (OBPs), one chemosensory protein (CSP), three sensory neuron membrane proteins (SNMPs), 70 odourant receptors (ORs), 30 ionotropic receptors (IRs), and 21 gustatory receptors (GRs). Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to validate the results by assessing the expression profiles of 25 ORs and 15 OBPs. Notably, high expression levels for BcucOBP5/9/10/18/21/23/26 were observed in both the female andmale antennae. Furthermore, BcucOROrco/6/7/9/13/15/25/27/28/42/62 exhibited biased expression in the male antennae, whereas BcucOR55 showed biased expression in the female antennae. This comprehensive investigation provides valuable insights into insect olfaction at the molecular level and will, thus, help to facilitate the development of enhanced pest management strategies in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Gut microbes play an important role in the adaptation of insects. Polyphagous insects usually undergo changes in gut microbiota after host shift. The Bactrocera cucurbitae have a wide range of hosts, but the dynamic of gut microorganisms during host shift have not been thoroughly investigated. To understand the role of gut microbes in insect adaptation, it is necessary to study the dynamics of insect gut microorganisms during host transfer. Methods: Using Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) (Diptera: Tephritidae) and its four hosts as study subjects, we investigated the dynamics of gut microbes during host transfer and the effects of different hosts on the gut microbial composition of B. cucurbitae. Results: The results showed that the Chao1 index of B. cucurbitae decreased significantly during host transfer, and the intestinal microorganisms were significantly affected by the original host, host, and generations. Furthermore, predicated changes in the abundance of secondary metabolite pathways after host transfer suggested that microorganisms may play an important role in the degradation of secondary metabolites, among which Providencia and Morganella have important functions in the gut of B. cucurbitae. Conclusion: This implied that microorganisms play a function in the host transfer process of B. cucurbitae and may be an important cofactor in the adaptation of B. cucurbitae to different hosts and environments, providing new research ideas for the future control of B. cucurbitae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The haphazard and irrational use of chemical pesticides has led to pest resurgence and pesticide resistance, posing a significant challenge in the management of economically important pests. Farming systems built on integrated pest management (IPM) can minimize the use of chemical pesticides and secure soil, plant, and human health by controlling pests at the same time. Bactrocera cucurbitae is a serious pest of cucurbitaceous crops including more than other 70 hosts. Though various control strategies have been developed against melon fruit flies, fewer efforts have been paid to establish effective and efficient integrated pest management programs. This review provides an overview of the life cycle and behaviour of melon fruit fly as well as a detailed analysis of the various IPM strategies that have been developed for their control. These strategies include cultural practices, such as weeding, removal of alternate hosts, and field sanitation, biological control methods such as use of natural enemies, and entomopathogenic fungi (Beauveria bassiana, B. pseudobassiana), use of botanicals (neem, jholmol), and chemical control measures, such as the use of pesticides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae is serious pest attacks fruits and vegetables. The manipulation of male mating behavior that displays acoustic signals is one of the steps in the behavior-based control strategy of B. cucurbitae. The first study period determines the courtship song characteristics, frequency, and occurrence time. The recording was carried out when B. cucurbitae was mated using recording devices at 04.00–07.00 pm. The results show three sounds produced before copulation, namely, calling, courtship, and stimulating, with frequencies 274.30 ± 3.29 Hz, 284.65 ± 2.00 Hz, and 304.36 ± 1.82 Hz. B. cucurbitae courtship song began at 04.00–06.26 pm. The second study was performed to determine the effect of experimental acoustic playback stimulus on the selection of mating pairs by females. The acoustic playback stimulus is made synthetically by playback of two channels, namely, calling and courtship sounds, with frequencies of 274 and 284 Hz at a sound pressure level (SPL) of 85 dB. The experimental results of acoustic playback stimulus show that the sexual behavior of female B. cucurbitae was disrupted and marked by the decreased number of copulations during SPL is high, resulting in the overlapping calling and courtship sounds frequencies that impair signal detection.

The melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae is serious pest attacks fruits and vegetables. The manipulation of male mating behavior that displays acoustic signals is one of the steps in the behavior-based control strategy of B. cucurbitae. The first study period determines the courtship song characteristics, frequency, and occurrence time. The recording was carried out when B. cucurbitae was mated using recording devices at 04.00-07.00 pm. The results show three sounds produced before copulation, namely, calling, courtship, and stimulating, with frequencies 274.30 ± 3.29 Hz, 284.65 ± 2.00 Hz, and 304.36 ± 1.82 Hz. B. cucurbitae courtship song began at 04.00-06.26 pm. The second study was performed to determine the effect of experimental acoustic playback stimulus on the selection of mating pairs by females. The acoustic playback stimulus is made synthetically by playback of two channels, namely, calling and courtship sounds, with frequencies of 274 and 284 Hz at a sound pressure level (SPL) of 85 dB. The experimental results of acoustic playback stimulus show that the sexual behavior of female B. cucurbitae was disrupted and marked by the decreased number of copulations during SPL is high, resulting in the overlapping calling and courtship sounds frequencies that impair signal detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The melon fruit fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) and the pumpkin fruit fly, Bactrocera tau (Walker) (Diptera: Tephritidae), are important invasive pests on Cucurbitaceous hosts. The acute toxicity of five insecticides to females of these two fruit fly species was bio-assayed by membrane method, and effects of their sublethal concentration on the survival, reproduction, and ovary development of females were evaluated in the laboratory. Results showed that based on the LC50 values, both B. cucurbitae and B. tau were the most susceptible to trichlorfon. After treatment with sublethal concentration (LC30) of trichlorfon, abamectin+β-cypermethrin, spinetoram, and lambda-cyhalothrin, the female survival days of the two Bactrocera species were significantly shortened compared with the control. Moreover, the fecundity of two Bactrocera species was remarkably decreased, after exposure to abamectin+β-cypermethrin and trichlorfon LC30. However, the sublethal concentration (LC30) of insecticides had no significant influence on the egg hatchability of the fruit flies. Furthermore, after treatment with abamectin+β-cypermethrin LC30, the ovary length, width, and egg load of B. cucurbitae were significantly lower than that of the control; however, only the ovarian length and egg load of B. tau were significantly decreased on the 16th and 20th day. In conclusion, abamectin+β-cypermethrin has an excellent insecticidal activity against B. cucurbitae and B. tau. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae Coquillett (Diptera: Tephritidae), is a quarantine pest that causes considerable economic losses to growers of vegetables and fruits worldwide. Spalangia endius (Walker) (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) is a solitary pupal parasitoid of various dipteran hosts. We assessed the impact of the host pupal age (2, 4, and 6 days old), host density (5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30), and parasitoid density (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6) on the parasitizing potential of S. endius on B. cucurbitae pupae under laboratory conditions. The effects of different soil depths on the parasitism rate of S. endius and the dispersal behavior of S. endius at distances of 0, 5, and 10 m were also evaluated under field conditions. The results showed that the parasitism rate of S. endius significantly increased with the increase in host density and parasitoid density. The host pupal age did not influence the number of pupae parasitized by S. endius and the progeny sex ratio of S. endius under different host densities. In the fields, different puparium burial depths of B. dorsalis pupae significantly influenced the parasitism and eclosion rates of S. endius but did not influence the eclosion rate of B. cucurbitae. Spalangia endius females could travel up to 10 m to parasitize at a similar rate on B. cucurbitae pupae compared to S. endius placed at 0 m. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is the most destructive pest of bitter gourd. Conventionally, it is controlled by chemical insecticides despite their hazardous impacts. Entomopathogenic fungi are considered as eco-friendly and safer alternative of chemical. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae against B. cucurbitae on bitter gourd. Results The study revealed that B. bassiana and M. anisopliae were efficient against B. cucurbitae in controlled as well as field conditions. Both mode of application (i.e., contact and oral) were found to be effective; however, high efficacies of them were observed through contact application (73.43 and 59.72%), respectively. Pathogenicity of both fungi increased with increase in concentration and time intervals. Under field conditions, significantly low fruit infestations and significantly a high population reduction of B. cucurbitae were observed at 30 DAT when both fungi were applied with 108 CFU/ml concentrations. Conclusions Beauveria bassiana and M. anisopliae had the potential to be used against B. cucurbitae; however, the former showed high efficiency comparatively.

Fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) species pose a significant threat to mango and citrus production worldwide including Pakistan. In the present study we identified and monitored the population dynamics of fruit flies species using male attractants Attrex® (methyl eugenol 98%, evyol group) and static Spinosad® (spinosad 2% and methyl eugenol 51%, target group) in mango and citrus orchards at different locations in Multan, Southern Punjab, Pakistan. Bactrocera zonata (Saunders) was the most abundant fruit fly species in this study. Our results indicated a positive and significant correlation between the species of fruit flies and mean temperature in mango and citrus orchards at all locations. In mango orchards, peak population of fruit fly complex was recorded from June to July, a period when the mangoes ripe and mean temperature is high. In citrus orchards, minimum population was observed from January to February, a period when the citrus fruit is available in the orchard but the temperature is too low for larval development. Several factors such as temperature, availability of preferred host and alternate host could contribute towards the population buildup of fruit flies in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is the most destructive pest of bitter gourd. Conventionally, it is controlled by chemical insecticides despite their hazardous impacts. Entomopathogenic fungi are considered as eco-friendly and safer alternative of chemical. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae against B. cucurbitae on bitter gourd. Results: The study revealed that B. bassiana and M. anisopliae were efficient against B. cucurbitae in controlled as well as field conditions. Both mode of application (i.e., contact and oral) were found to be effective; however, high efficacies of them were observed through contact application (73.43 and 59.72%), respectively. Pathogenicity of both fungi increased with increase in concentration and time intervals. Under field conditions, significantly low fruit infestations and significantly a high population reduction of B. cucurbitae were observed at 30 DAT when both fungi were applied with 108 CFU/ml concentrations. Conclusions: Beauveria bassiana and M. anisopliae had the potential to be used against B. cucurbitae; however, the former showed high efficiency comparatively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Curcumin, a secondary metabolite widely found in plants was incorporated in the artificial diet of melon fruit fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) at 5, 25, 125, 625 and 3125 ppm concentrations to study its influence on the development and physiology of this pest. Water was used as a control. The larval period and total developmental period were prolonged while percent pupation, pupal weight and percent emergence decreased in the first and second larval instar. The analysis of antioxidant enzymes at three treatment intervals (24, 48 and 72 h) revealed an increase in activity of superoxide dismutase and phenol oxidase at most treatment intervals while the enzymatic activity of catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, dehydroascorbate reductase and peroxidases decreased at almost all treatment intervals. The findings revealed growth retarding and negative effects of curcumin on the first and second instar larvae of B. cucurbitae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploit of newer insecticides with unique mode of action is a new way for the management of melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett), a major pest on bitter gourd and experiment was carried out under field condition during kharif, 2019. Observation on per cent fruit infestation and larval population per fruit were recorded by picking marketable size fruits at 60 days after sowing. Spinosad 45 SC @ 0.3 ml L-1 was the most effective insecticide against melon fly against B. cucurbitae with significantly lowest fruit infestation (28.62%), larval population (6.53/fruit) with higher marketable yield of 12.86 tons ha-1. Thiodicarb 75 WP @ 1.0 g L-1 was the next best treatment in the order of efficacy against melon fly with 31.72 per cent of fruit infestation, 7.84 of larvae per fruit followed by emamectin benzoate @ 0.4 g L-1 (34.32% and 8.82/fruit), flubendiamide @ 0.75 ml L-1 (36.39% and 8.54/fruit) and lambda cyhalothrin @ 1.0 ml L-1 (36.39% and 8.92/fruit). Per cent reduction of fruit infestation over the control was high in Spinosad 45 SC @ 0.3 ml L-1 (55.49%) followed by thiodicarb 75 WP @ 1.0 g L-1 (50.67%). It is concluded that 2 foliar spray of either spinosad 45 EC @ 0.3 ml L-1 or thiodicarb 75 WP @ 1.0 g L-1 at flowering and fruiting stage of the crop offer better protection against melon fly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tephritidae pests severely affect the quality and safety of various melons, fruits and vegetable crops. However, many agricultural managers lack an adequate understanding of the level of pest occurrence, resulting in the misuse of pesticides, which ultimately leads to environmental pollution and economic loss. Therefore, real-time detection and counting of Tephritidae pests are important for timely pest spotting and control. This work helps quickly determine the distribution and abundance of pests in the current environment, thus providing data on pest conditions for agricultural management to optimize pesticide use. Nevertheless, the fast speed, high accuracy, and lightweight performance of real-time detection and counting are difficult to balance. To address this problem, based on the YOLOv8n model, this paper takes Bactrocera cucurbitae pests as the detection target and proposes a fast and lightweight real-time detection and individual counting model for Tephritidae pests, named YOLO_MRC. This paper introduces three key improvements: (1) Constructing a new module called Multicat into the neck network increases the focus on the detection target by incorporating an attention mechanism; (2) Reducing the original three detection heads to two and then adjusting their sizes to decrease the number of parameters in the network model; (3) Devising a novel module, C2flite, to enhance the deep feature extraction capability of the backbone network. According to the above points, this paper conducts ablation experiments to compare the performances of different models. Experiments showed that the Multicat module significantly offsets the large increase in GFLOPs and processing time caused by reducing the detection head and can further reduce the number of parameters and improve the accuracy when combined with the C2flite module. On our Bactrocera cucurbitae pest dataset, the mAP@0.5 of the YOLO_MRC model reached 99.3%. Simultaneously, as the number of parameters decreases by 63.68%, GFLOPs is reduced by 19.75%, and the processing time is shortened by 5%. To ensure the validity of the model, YOLO_MRC is compared with four excellent detection models by using manual counting results as the benchmark. YOLO_MRC achieves an average pest counting accuracy of 94%, demonstrating superior performance in terms of model size and processing time. To further explore the performance of YOLO_MRC in multiclass insect detection tasks, we choose the public dataset Pest_24_640 for comparison with four state-of-the-art models. YOLO_MRC achieves a 3.6 ms processing time and 70.4% accuracy with only a 2.4 MB model size, which demonstrates the potential of YOLO_MRC in multiclass pest detection. • Deep learning is employed for detection and counting of pests to gather pest data. • In the Bactrocera cucurbitae dataset, YOLO_MRC outperforms YOLOv8. • The 6% counting error reflects real-time processing akin to human proficiency. • This presents an efficient tool for both pest detection and precise quantification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insect pests are a threat to agriculture as they cause a loss of 15–22% to economically important crops every year. Bacillus thuringiensis produces parasporal crystal inclusions that have insecticidal 'Cry' proteins which are toxic to insect larvae of the order Lepidoptera, Coleoptera and Diptera, etc. In the present study, 40 different soil samples from Amritsar and its surrounding areas were selected for isolation of B. thuringiensis. The rod shaped, gram-positive bacterial isolates were further analyzed for characteristic crystal formation using phase contrast and scanning electron microscopy. 6 Bacillus samples containing cry genes were identified using the universal primers for cry genes, of which one isolate exhibited a protein band of ~95 kDa. This protein was purified using a Sephadex G-75 column. The insecticidal assays conducted with purified Cry protein on insect larvae of lepidopteran and dipteran orders viz. Spodoptera litura , Galleria malonella , Bactrocera cucurbitae and Culex pipens revealed considerable detrimental effects. A significant increase in larval mortality was observed for the larvae of all insects in a concentration dependent manner when treated with Cry protein purified from B. thuringenisis VIID1. The purified Cry protein did not have any significant effect on honey bee larvae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the basis of the problem that the image background is simple and the traditional shooting equipment of fruit flies is too high, this study improved the convolutional neural network model. First, the authors changed Softmax classifier to support vector machine (SVM). Moreover, then used convolution layers for extracting features of fruit fly images. Finally, they fed features into SVM for training. Experiments show that the model has been classifying the Bactrocera dorsalis Hendel, Bactrocera cucurbitae, Bactrocera tau and Bactrocera scutellata with accuracy over 92.04%, accordingly making the effective classification of the complex background fruit fly images possible. Moreover, it also provides a good practical application prospect.

The fruit flies Bactrocera tau (Walker) and B. cucurbitae (Coquillett) are economically important invasive pests on numerous vegetable and fruit species in China. Due to the instability of the early spring climate, temperatures often deviate far below the normal temperature for short periods of time. Such a sudden short-term low temperature may impact the reproduction and development of the two fruit fly species. In this study, the effects of low temperatures (8, 6, 4, 2, 0, −2, and −4°С) on the development and reproduction of these two closely related fruit fly species were studied under laboratory condition. The results showed that their survival rates decreased gradually with corresponding decreases in the tested temperatures. On the other hand, their pre-oviposition periods and their adult female to male sex ratios increased, while the average number of eggs per female of each species and longevity of male adult of B. cucurbitae initially increased and later decreased after exposure to the low-temperature treatments. Overall, low temperatures promoted reproduction in B. cucurbitae and B. tau at temperatures ranging from 24°С to as low as 8°С. Development and reproduction of the two species were negatively affected when temperatures were between 8 to −4°С. The cold resistance of each developmental stage was higher in B. tau than in corresponding stages of B. cucurbitae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bactrocera cucurbitae is commonly known as melon fruit fly. It is a serious pest of several vegetable and fruit plants grown all across the world. The morphological features and damaging nature of this pest species have been well documented. However, the genetics of its any mutation that results into phenotypic variation has not been mentioned at all. While working on this fly, we found a golden brown eye mutant that showed eye colour variation from the wild type flies (bluish green eye coloured). By setting different crosses to get F1 and F2 flies, this has been ascertained that the eye colour mutation is autosomal recessive in nature. The preliminary results of some of the experiments involving mutants clearly depict the pleiotropic effect of this mutant gene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Present research work was carried out to access the attractancy of melon fruit flies towards different protein and ammonia sources under laboratory and field conditions. In the first experiment, different lure mixtures (LMs) comprised of ammonia and protein sources mixed with sugar, honey and vinegar in comparison with GF-120 (standard) were assessed for their attractive potential against Bactrocera cucurbitae under laboratory and field conditions. Out of all lure-mixtures, LM-9 (protein-hydrolysate based lure-mixture), LM-5 (Yeast-extract based lure-mixture) and LM-1 (Ammonium-acetate based luremixture) proved more attractive LMs to B. cucurbitae under field conditions. These three LMs (LM-9, LM-5 and LM-1) were selected to admix with juices/pulp of different fruits for preparation of eight FALMs [(Fruit juice/pulps Admixed with Lure- Mixtures (LM))] were assessed for their attraction against melon fruit flies under laboratory and field conditions in the second experiment. Out of all FALMs, FALM-1 (cucumber based FALM) proved strongly attractive FALM toward melon fruit flies in olfactometer and field studies. However, FALM-3 (banana based FALM), FALM-4 (pumpkin based FALM), FALM-5 (grapes based FALM) and FALM-7 (watermelon based FALM) proved strongly attractive FALMs to melon fruit flies in field studies. As FALM-1 proved strongly attractive FALM to both males and females of B. cucurbitae in olfactometer and field studies, so it can be used for IPM program of B. cucurbitae in cucurbit cropping system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Population dynamics and infestation of fruit fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae Coquillett (Diptera: Tephritidae) was monitored on cucumber, Cucumis sativus using methyl eugenol trap during summer and autumn in 2017 at Gazipur, Bangladesh. Relationship between the abundance of fruit fly and meteorological factors was also studied. The fruit fly showed significantly higher abundance in summer compared to autumn. The larval population per fruit was found higher in summer (24.9 fruit-1) than that in autumn (1.5 fruit-1). The daily mean temperature had significant positive, light intensity had insignificant positive, relative humidity had insignificant negative and rainfall had insignificant negative correlation with fruit fly abundance. The temperature, light intensity, relative humidity and rainfall individually contributed to fruit fly abundance of 14.1 %, 24.0 %, 0.8 % and 1.8 %, respectively. The combined effect of the weather parameters on fruit fly abundance was 40.7 % and the equations were insignificant. The fruit fly showed significantly lower level of infestation in methyl eugenol treated plots as compared to controls in both summer and autumn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attraction of tephritid fruit flies to some food sources can be enhanced by the presence of ammonia derivatives, compounds that are perceived as volatile cues for protein‐rich food sources. Using a comparative approach, we (1) evaluated the behavioral responses of females of three invasive fruit fly species, Bactrocera (Zeugodacus) cucurbitae (Coquillett), Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel), and Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (all Diptera: Tephritidae) to trub (a protein‐rich waste brewer's yeast product generated during the production of beer), Concord grape juice (a protein‐deficient material), and ammonium acetate, and (2) identified synergistic and additive interactions between low‐ and high‐attractiveness materials and ammonium acetate. We established the attractiveness of fresh trub, grape juice, and ammonium acetate when tested singly to females of all three fly species. Although ammonium acetate did not enhance significantly the response of females of any species to fresh trub, the most attractive material, ammonium acetate, did significantly enhance females' level of response to aged trub (a comparatively less attractive material) and to grape juice. Our research found a synergistic interaction between diluted grape juice and ammonium acetate for B. cucurbitae, as well as between aged trub and ammonium acetate for B. dorsalis. For C. capitata, additive effects among food attractants and ammonium acetate were identified. Our findings increase our understanding of fruit fly female olfactory‐driven behavior in response to food‐based materials and the extent to which ammonium acetate modulates female response to protein‐rich and protein‐deficient materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) also known as bitter melon being rich in folate and vitamin C is one of the most popular cucurbitaceous vegetables grown extensively in the tropics and subtropics especially in India. Besides its numerous culinary preparations, it has immense medicinal properties as well as ornamental uses. The fast growing vines and creepers of bitter gourd attract a number of insect pests of which fruit fly (Bactrocera cucurbitae Coq.) is the most destructive due to difficulties associated with its chemical control as the maggots remain and feed inside the fruits, protected from direct contact with insecticides. Therefore, exploration of alternative control measures for this pest is crucial and identification of promising resistance genotypes could be the effective option. Considering the above aspects in view, twenty five genotypes of bitter gourd (M. charantia L.) were preliminary screened under field condition to study their susceptibility against the infestation of melon fruit fly, B. cucurbitae (Coq.) in two agro-climatic zones of West Bengal, India. Based on the performance of preliminary screening, nine genotypes were selected for final screening. The experiment on preliminary screening was conducted at Kalyani, Nadia (Gangetic Alluvial zone) and Sekhampur, Birbhum (Red and Laterite zone) during spring-summer season of 2016 and 2017 while the final screening was done in 2018. Results of the study revealed that percent fruit infestation and larval density per fruit varied significantly in all the tested genotypes and none of the genotypes were free of infestation with B. cucurbitae. During preliminary screening, the pooled data of mean percent fruit infestation of two years at two locations showed that infestation of melon fruit fly was significantly lower in the genotype US-6214 (14.50%) with larval density of 3.63 larvae per fruit followed by Meghnad-2 (16.50% and 4.08 larvae per fruit). Highest mean percent fruit infestation was recorded in the genotype Pusa Do Mausami (69.67%) with larval density of 10.77 larvae per fruit followed by Diamond Bolder (60.67% and 8.13 larvae per fruit) and were categorized as susceptible. Out of the twenty five genotypes of bitter gourd tested, six genotypes were classified as resistant, eleven genotypes as moderately resistant and eight genotypes as susceptible against melon fruit fly infestation. The mean data of the final screening at two locations revealed that US-6214 and Meghnad-2 recorded significantly low percent fruit infestation (14.35% and 16.33%) with 3.85 and 4.37 larvae per fruit while Pusa Do Mausami had the highest infestation and larval density (63.67% and 10.36 larvae per fruit). These findings suggest that US-6214 and Meghnad-2 may be utilized in resistance breeding programmes against melon fruit fly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) (Tephritidae: Diptera), is an invasive pest that poses a significant threat to agriculture in Africa and other regions. Flies are known to use their olfactory systems to recognise environmental chemical cues. However, the molecular components of the chemosensory system of B. cucurbitae are poorly characterised. To address this knowledge gap, we have used next-generation sequencing to analyse the antenna transcriptomes of sexually immature B. cucurbitae adults. The results have identified 160 potential chemosensory genes, including 35 odourant-binding proteins (OBPs), one chemosensory protein (CSP), three sensory neuron membrane proteins (SNMPs), 70 odourant receptors (ORs), 30 ionotropic receptors (IRs), and 21 gustatory receptors (GRs). Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to validate the results by assessing the expression profiles of 25 ORs and 15 OBPs. Notably, high expression levels for BcucOBP5/9/10/18/21/23/26 were observed in both the female and male antennae. Furthermore, BcucOROrco/6/7/9/13/15/25/27/28/42/62 exhibited biased expression in the male antennae, whereas BcucOR55 showed biased expression in the female antennae. This comprehensive investigation provides valuable insights into insect olfaction at the molecular level and will, thus, help to facilitate the development of enhanced pest management strategies in the future., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Wang, Ma, Yue, Yang, Chen, Wang, Zhao, Gao, Chen, Ma and Zhou.)

A trypsin inhibitor was purified from the seeds of Psoralea corylifolia by ion-exchange and affinity chromatography. The purified fractions were subjected to RP- HPLC which resolved into a single peak. SDS-PAGE analysis gave an apparent molecular weight of 18 kDa. P. corylifolia trypsin inhibitor (PCTI) was found to be a competitive inhibitor and was active over a broad temperature (10–100 °C) and pH (6–11) range. It was shown to have a deleterious effect on growth and development of larvae of the melon fruit fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae , when incorporated in artificial diet using various concentrations. The larval, pupal, total development period and larval mortality significantly increased during the treatment. Inhibitory effects were also observed on percentage emergence which was significantly reduced. Nutritional indices namely food assimilated (FA) and mean relative growth rate (MRGR) also decreased significantly with increase in concentration of PCTI. qRT-PCR results indicated that the expression of trypsin and chymotrypsin genes were down-regulated while elastase, catalase, GST, SOD and AP were up-regulated. PCTI was also effective against certain bacterial strains. These results indicated that the peptidase inhibitor from P. corylifolia may be a potential bio-control agent which can decrease the damage caused by B. cucurbitae and other related destructive pests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The melon fruit fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett), is a serious agricultural pest which has defied the various control measures employed against it. Protease inhibitors present in plants which have the potential to inhibit the growth and development of associated insect pests can be a possible alternative which can be manipulated for developing resistance in plants to the pest. In the present study, winged bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus) protease inhibitor isolated through affinity chromatography was explored for its potential to disrupt the development of melon fruit fly, B. cucurbitae. Different concentrations (12.5, 25, 50, 100, 200, and 400 µg ml−1) of the winged bean protease inhibitor (WBPI) were incorporated into the artificial diet of the second instar (64–72 h old) larvae of B. cucurbitae. The WBPI significantly delayed the larval, pupal, and total development period. The percentage pupation and adult emergence of the treated larvae was reduced as compared with control. The activities of major digestive enzymes (trypsin, chymotrypsin, leucine aminopeptidase, and elastase) decreased significantly in the larvae treated with different concentrations (50, 100, 200, and 400 µg ml−1) of WBPI. The findings reveal that the inhibitor holds considerable promise for the management of the melon fruit fly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Chinese Journal of Applied Entomology is the property of Chinese Journal of Applied Entomology, Editorial Department and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Chinese Journal of Applied Entomology is the property of Chinese Journal of Applied Entomology, Editorial Department and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Consuming natural male lure compounds enables the males of some fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) to mate more successfully within their femalechoice mating systems. However, it remains unclear what benefits females derive from mating with lure-fed males. With Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt) (Diptera: Tephritidae), feeding on the lures cue-lure and zingerone is associated with increased fecundity of mated females, but this direct fitness benefit was not apparent with B. dorsalis (Hendel) (with the lure methyl eugenol) or Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Coquillett) (with the lure cue-lure). Expanding on previous observations, we fed Z. cucurbitae males zingerone, but we observed no evidence of direct fitness benefits to males feeding on zingerone (i.e., mating success and virgin longevity), or to females mated to zingerone-fed males (i.e., longevity, fecundity, and egg viability). We therefore find no reason to reject the runaway selection hypothesis that previously has been proposed to explain lure attraction in B. dorsalis and Z. cucurbitae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tephritidae is an important family of order Diptera having > 4000 species. Out of 4000 species, nearly 700 of them belong to sub family Dacinae. About 250 species are dispersed in tropical, subtropical and temperate environment on the earth and 44 species of them are related to Bactrocera genus. Bactrocera cucurbitae is a well-known cucurbit pest commonly known as melon fly, which is considered as a major factor for huge economic loss in cucurbit growing area. Elevated carboxyl esterases have been implicated in resistance against organophosphate. Nevertheless, P450s and GSTs are also responsible for metabolizing organophosphate molecules as well. The esterase (p < .046), GST (p < .048), and cytP450 (p < .001) activity of the resistant strains was significantly higher than the susceptible strain. Biochemical assay have revealed higher activity of esterase, monooxygenase and GST in wild Bactrocera cucurbitae population in comparison to lab (susceptible) population. This suggests the higher resistance in the wild population. Deltamethrin might be detoxified by monooxygenase and GST enzyme, while malathion is detoxified by esterase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]