Assessment of fruit fly bactrocera invadens (Diptera:Tephritidae) presence in Eastern province of Rwanda
(2016) East African Journal of Science and Technology — Vol. 6, n° 3, p. 1-9 (2016)
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- Abstract
- Fruit flies are one of the world’s most devastating crop pests, causing millions of Dollars in production loss each year. In Africa there are several species that attack fruits, vegetables and native hosts. Among these are two species that have recently invaded Africa: Bactrocera invadens and B. cucurbitae. These two species attack a wide variety of crops including mango, guava and tomato. B. invadens also infests citrus and cashew nuts. Since its first detection in Kenya in 2003, B. invadens has spread to 26 countries in Africa and is known to infest at least 31 host plants. Both B. invadens and B. cucurbitae are devastating pests that can have a severe impact on sustainable agriculture and rural livelihoods, as well as export markets. No serious fruit fly surveys had ever been undertaken in Rwanda and it was not known whether B. invadens occurred in that country, nor were there any inventories of Tephritidae available for Rwanda. Bactrocera invadens (Diptera: Tephritidae family) is an invasive fruit fly from Asia that is now spreading in many African countries. Scouting and monitoring of fruit flies was carried out in Rwanda regions where fruits are more produced using artificial pheromones (Methyl Eugenol, Cue lure, Trimed lure and 3-Components lure) combined with Vapona strip tablet to kill insects. The main objectives were to survey for the presence of the invasive fruit fly species, Bactrocera invadens and to confirm the results of 2009 from United States Department of Agriculture/South Africa indicating that Bactrocera invadens is present in Rwanda. The results from this work reveal that Bactrocera invadens and other fruit flies are already well established in Eastern Province of Rwanda on different kind of fruits. Yet, the fruit fly surveillance system should be extended to cover all fruit production areas throughout the territory of Rwanda for risk assessment and to determine which areas of Rwanda will be pest free for B. invadens. Training on fruit fly identification, control measures, and field management should be given to horticultural crops producing farmers as well as extension officers
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Citations
Harelimana, A., Le Goff, G., Rukazambuga, D., Ngamata, M. O., & Hance, T. (2016). Assessment of fruit fly bactrocera invadens (Diptera:Tephritidae) presence in Eastern province of Rwanda. East African Journal of Science and Technology, 6(3), 1-9. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/185281 (Original work published 2016)