Responsible Officer:
| Mrs. N. Patel Scientific Officer
Mrs. S. Raghoo Scientific Officer
|
The tomato fruit fly is a devastating pest of tomato. Female flies insert their eggs under the skin of the fruit. After hatching, the larvae develop in the fruit by feeding on the pulp. At maturity, the larvae leave the fruit and fall on the ground for pupation. Adult flies emerge from the pupae.
Treatment using a protein bait insecticide mixture every 7-10 days
(a) Success (GF120), 80 water ml/L, or
(b) Protein Hydrolysate, (e.g. Fly-O-Bait), 20 water ml/L mixed with an insecticide such as Baythroid 50 SL, Cymbush 10 EC., Decis 2.5 EC., Karate, Lebaycid 50 EC., Selecron 500 EC 2 ml/L or Dipterex 95 SP 2 g/L.
Both male and female flies are attracted by the protein bait mixture.
Treatment should start two weeks after transplantation or four weeks after seeding.
Apply 25 ml of the mixture by spot treatment under the leaves
Treat the lines of plantation in alternation
The vegetation around the plantations e.g. Bamboo, Fataque, Acacia, Maize, Sugarcane, etc should also be treated.
Trapping of the male and female adults to decrease the population
Some 300 ml of the protein bait insecticide mixture (as mentioned above) could be placed in a plastic bottle modified into a trap as shown below:
Photo 1. Wet trap made up of plastic bottle
The bottles containing the bait mixture should be placed along the edges of the plantations at intervals of 40-60 feet, between traps.
The prepared bait mixture should be used within a period of 48 hours.
Cultural Control
Fruits infested with fruit flies should be collected and placed in a fruit cage as shown below.
Photo 2. Fruit cage (augmentorium)
The flies emerging from the fruits will remain imprisoned inside the cage and will die due to lack of food.
All left over fruits after last harvest should be collected and placed in the fruit cage. This measure is a very important component of the control system as it diminishes the potential build up of the fruit fly populations which would infest subsequent crops.Chemical control
Treat with one of the following products:
| Insecticide | Dosage / litre of water | Fréquency (days) | Time before harvest (days) |
| Lebaycid 50 EC | 1 ml | 10 | 14 |
| Cymbush 10 EC | 0.5 ml | 7 | 4 |
| Decis 2.5 EC | 0.5 ml | 7 | 2 |
| Selecron 500 EC | 1.5 ml | 7 | 4 |
| Dipterex 95 SP | 1.0 g | 7 | 7 |
| Baythroid 50 EC | 0.5 ml | 7 | 3 |
| Karaté 5 CS | 0.5 ml | 7 | 3 |
