Host Preference of the Melon Fly Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Coquillett) under Laboratory Conditions อาทิตยา สนทอง และ ดวงตา จุลศิริกุล

Abstract

The melon fly (Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Coquillett)) is an important agricultural pest in Thailand. The study on host preference of the melon fly was conducted under laboratory conditions with choice and no-choice tests, using five cucurbit host plants: ivy gourd, cucumber, angled luffa, pumpkin and bitter gourd. The completely randomized design with three replications was used in the experiment. The number of pupae and adults were recorded, calculated as average values and analyzed the data with analysis of variance. The number of pupae and adults of melon fly found in different host plants were significantly different. The highest number of pupae and adults of melon fly were found in cucumber, for both choice test (pupae 48.93%, adults 24.13%) and no-choice test (pupae 43.07%, adults 25.27%). However, the percentage of adult melon flies emerging from cucumber was lower than that of bitter gourd which was the highest percent adult emergence (choice test 64.94%, no-choice test 78.38%). The study on host preference revealed the factors that influenced host preference of the melon fly, which can be applied by using plant odor with trap to control and reduce the populations of melon fly in the outbreak area.