
Evaluation of fermented lures for monitoring Tephritid flies in mangoes cultivation (Manguifera indica) Chongón-Province of Guayas.
Luis Bravo-Díaz ¹*, Edison Morán de la Torre ¹, Ivonne Varas ¹, Arturo Alvarado ¹,
Danilo Valdez ¹,
1 University Agraria of Ecuador-Guayaquil-Ecuador
1 University Agraria of Ecuador-Guayaquil-Ecuador
edison.moran.delatorre@uagraria.edu.ec; ivonne.varas.carvajal@uagraria.edu.ec; aealvarado@uagraria.edu.ec;
dvaldez@uagraria.edu.ec
*Correspondence: luis.bravo.diaz@uagraria.edu.ec, taipeilouis77@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
The research was conducted in an open field at the Villaforest farm, Chongón parish, Guayas
Province. The genus Anastrepha
spp. is one of the pests considered quarantine for other countries worldwide
and is the most prevalent in
South America. This research aimed to find an effective low-cost lure that
helps reduce fruit fly populations. The experimental design used was a
randomized complete block (RCBD), and means comparisons were made with the
non-parametric Friedman test. The treatments were evaluated from the blossom to
fruiting stages of mangoes. The control (T5) hydrolyzed protein obtained the
highest captures with 524 specimens, (T3) Torula with 261 specimens, and (T1)
Em-yeast-molasses-Ammonium Sulfate with 239 specimens. The most prevalent
genera and species were Anastrepha
fraterculus, Anastrepha obliqua, and
Anastrepha serpentina. The most
economical cost between the treatments was (T1) Em-yeast-molasses- Ammonium
Sulfate. In the mean comparisons
during the first and second month of the trial, (T3) Torula and (T5)
hydrolyzed protein showed no significant differences in terms of FTD
(fly/trap/day), and in the third month during the mango fruiting period, (T5)
hydrolyzed protein achieved the best results followed by (T1)
Em-yeast-molasses-Ammonium Sulfate, and then (T3) Torula.
Keywords: Lures, Anastrepha spp., fruit flies, mangoes, FTD
INTRODUCTION
The following research was conducted because many fruit
producers do not have an alternative or tool to determine the presence of fruit
flies in their crops at a low cost. In Ecuador, to determine the phytosanitary
status of fruit crops, it's first necessary to use Mcphail traps or homemade
traps with food lures; this one is expensive and not too easy to buy due to
being an imported product. Regarding the investigation of Fazal Maula et
al.(2022), ¹ The use of traps with food baits and other techniques, such as
traps with stickers, there are some ways to reduce fruit fly populations
without eliminating beneficial insects and being more environmentally friendly.
In other countries such as Mexico,
Argentina, and Brazil,
fermented foods (hydrolyzed proteins) have already been developed using products
from their regions with good results. In the research of Jang and Light, cited
by Cornelius(2000)², the female Tephritid fruit flies are attracted to the
odors of proteins and host fruit. Olfactory attractants can be effectively used
to develop nontoxic attractants to detect, monitor, and control fruit fly
pests.
The main idea of the research was to test different
fermented food lures made from local products such as guava, molasses, baker's
yeast, and pineapple and determine which has the greatest attraction for fruit
flies in mangoes cultivation compared
to the commercial product that has been used for years; it calls hydrolyzed protein based on corn ferments
and imported. In the research
by Tibebe Dejene
Biasazin et al.(2019)³, brewer's yeast, a
product of the beer brewing process that is usually discarded, was used as an
alternative protein source for the control of Tephritid fruit flies. Additionally, baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) activated with sugar, a standard diet for adult Tephritid
flies, and torula yeast (Candida utilis),
which is a species of yeast often grown on wood sugars left over after paper
production and is an attractive bait for tephritidos.
Therefore, three treatments were fermented for 30 days before being
installed in the trial. Once the treatments were fermented, the Mcphail
traps with different types of food lures were installed at the Villaforest farm
in the mangoes crop. Specifically, the trial was installed in the Tommy Atkins
mangoes variety, with five traps per hectare
in five hectares, giving 25 experimental units. The use of alternative food proteins to control the population of fruits was described in search of S. Ekesi et al. (2018)ᶣ in which the treatment
with wasted brewery beer (WBB) got better results
than the NuLure,
commercial lure used to control
the plague in Kenya.
(WBB) had 112.1 flies/trap/day in Kenya, and 109.8 FTD in Uganda was superior
to NuLure's 56.8 FTD. The results will help fruit producers (mangoes, dragon fruit, plum,
goldenberry, and grapes.)
to have a tool to make their fermented food lure, which
will serve for the timely detection of the fruit fly pest at low cost and with
local products.
According to the research by Aluja
M. et al. (2019)⁵
using McPhail traps with lures such as IscaMosca (5%), Isca Samaritá Traditional (5%), torula yeast,
Bio Anastrepha (5%),
Ceratrap, and guava juice (50%)
with three weeks inspection,
the treatment with Ceratrap had the best results, followed by Torula,
IscaMosca, and Bio Anastrepha. Isca Samaritá and guava juice presented the
lowest results.
The research by Shafiq et al. (2012)⁶ claims that fruit
flies know their associations with bacteria well, and many species exhibit
morphological adaptations due to resident bacteria in the digestive tract.
Alternatively, the gut microbiota may provide the metabolic capacity to
generate the missing nitrogen component from the diet. As demonstrated in other
insect-bacteria associations, amino acids can be secreted by the bacteria and
assimilated by fruit flies.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
The study was led experimentally in the field for 25
years since he planted his variety, Tommy Atkins, collecting data on fruit fly
captures using different types of food lures, and the attractiveness was
evaluated. The experiment lasts from
August 1, 2023, until December 15, 2023, in an open field at the Villaforest farm, Chongón parish, Guayas
Province.
Variables
The independent variable
was the different types of fermented food lures in McPhail traps for monitoring and capturing fruit flies. The dependent variables were:
a)
Number of adult
flies per treatment: At 7, 14, and 21 days for each treatment,
the individuals were collected using entomological forceps to pick up the
insects, a sieve, and a container. The traps were rebaited with food lures
every 21 days for 3 months.
b)
Identification of flies by genus and species
per treatment: For macroscopic identification, a magnifying glass, entomological forceps,
70% alcohol, and a field guide for the recognition of fruit flies of the genus Anastrepha from Senasica-Sagarpa were
used. Additionally, the app Picture
Insect was used to corroborate the genus and species of captured specimens
macroscopically. The identification was done to determine the genus of Anastrepha
spp. get the highest population in the investigation. In the essay of
Bermudez M. et al. (2020)⁷, who evaluated a kind of fermented lure and used
alcohol to get the adults of fruit
flies, later identified the genus and determined the fruit flies with a high population, in that case, were Anastrepha fraterculus and Anastrepha obliqua.
c)
Number of fruit flies, females and males per treatment: The
specimens were collected and separated by sex.
d)
Population dynamics of the pest: The formula
flies per trap per day (FTP) was used to monitor fruit flies; Agrocalidad and USDA-APHIS use this formula.
This formula determined the prevalence of the
plague in an area, according to the exposure of the lures and Mcphail traps.
Formula:

Flies: Total Number of fruit flies captured Traps: Total Number of traps
checked Days: Total Number of exposition days
If the FTP is high to 0,14 or equal in a determined area
of mangoes of exportation, the area can't be cut or harvested because the area
is infested for fruit flies, the range permissible is too high, and the area is
under quarantine for 28 days, according to Salas D. et al. (2018)⁸.
Population and Data Technique
The population
for the study consisted of 25 experimental units; the sample
in the field was 25 mango
plants of the Tommy Atkins variety.
The technique applied
was direct observation of the captures in the field,
using Mcphail traps, which
allowed for determining the attractiveness of the fermented food lures. In the investigation of Yeralf J. et al. (2021), ⁹ used 12 experimental units for each farm to determine the attraction of his food baits and lures.
The complete randomized block design (CRBD),
non-parametric Friedman test, and Poisson
Binomial Distribution were applied. These tests were used because
the data collected
from the captures
did not have a normal distribution. Each experimental unit was placed
in a mango tree; 50 mts between them separated all the
units. Infostat statistical software was used to compare
the mean results
of the treatments. The means of
each treatment were taken for comparison analysis.
Treatments
The treatments used in the study were three food lures fermented based on yeast molasses
and a conventional control lure (hydrolyzed protein) based on corn
fermentation, also called Torula, with five repetitions each, totaling 25
experimental units. Molasses and pineapple were chosen as sugar sources for the
treatments due to their attraction to fruit flies, and guava was used as the
primary host for the fruit fly.

Table 1. Treatments with the components and doses per trap.
Field Conditions
The 25 experimental units were installed across 5
hectares, five Mcphail traps per hectare were placed, and captures of adult
fruit flies were recorded every 7, 14, and 21 days, after which the treatments
were rebait.
Fermentation of the Treatments
Only three treatments
were fermented for 30 days, namely T1(Effective Microorganism
(EM)+yeast+molas- ses+Ammonium Sulfate), T2(Guava
ferment (Psidium guajava L.)
+EM+yeast+molasses), and T4(Pineapple (Ananas comosus) +EM+yeast+molasses).
For fermenting the treatments described above, a 50 L plastic
tank was used for T1. As a base for fermentation,
250 g of yeast, 5 L of molasses, 2 L of Effective microorganisms, and 45 L of water were used, and 3 lb of Ammonium
Sulfate.
For the treatment T2, the same ingredients as above were
used, with 1lb of chopped guava added without ammonium sulfate. For treatment
T4, the base ingredients were used with the addition of 1 lb of chopped
pineapple. These treatments were fermented for 30 days.
Once fermentation was completed, the trial was set up.
The doses for each fermented treatment were 125 cc per trap, with the remaining 125 cc filled
with water. All the fermented
treatments and the control were applied
with 5 g of borax per trap to help delay the decomposition of collected insects
and facilitate their identification.
Materials Used
Vegetal: Mangoes
tress of Tommy
Atkins variety.
Ferments: Guava, Pineapple, molasses.
Chemical: Borax salt, Ammonium Sulfate
Physical: GPS, fermentation tanks, lever and hook, basin,
strainer and sieve,
plastic jars, Mcphail
traps, wire for hanging
traps, pencil, notebook, tweezers, 70% alcohol, magnifying glass.
Software: Google Earth for trap location, Infostat, and Sigmaplot (statistics and graphics).
RESULTS
Total Number of Adult Flies per Treatment
Regarding the treatment with the highest number of
detections of adult fruit flies and the highest prevalence of the pest, the
treatment with hydrolyzed protein (T5) captured the most with 524 specimens,
followed by treatment with Torula(T3) with 261 specimens. The treatment with
EM+yeast+molasses+Ammonium Sul- fate(T1) ranked third with 239 captures. The
low prevalence was of pineapple fermented treatment(T4) with 77 specimens and guava fermented treatment(T2)
with 14 specimens. In total,
1.115 fruit flies
were captured throughout the
trial.
According to the Friedman test, highly significant
differences were established between the evaluated treat- ments. The comparison identified two groups, with
the hydrolyzed protein treatment (T5) having the highest number of captures, followed
by Torula(T3). The other group was led by the EM-yeast-molasses-Ammonium
Sulfate treatment(T1), followed by the guava ferment treatment (T2) and the
pineapple ferment treatment (T4). Although
the hydrolyzed protein(T5) is superior in quantitative values, statistically,
it is equivalent to the Torula treatment(T3).
A similar behavior was also observed with the EM-yeast-molasses-Ammonium
Sulfate (T1) and Torula(T3). The hydrolyzed protein (T5) had the highest captures
during the fruiting
period of the mango and Torula (T3) during flowering and the beginning
of fruit growing. The captures of the EM-yeast-molasses-Ammonium Sulfate treatment
(T1) increased during
fruiting, most likely
because fruit flies are attracted to fermented odors and sugars. The treatment
Torula(T3) decay it captures every 2 weeks,
was the only lure that needed to replace
the bait; it's analogous to Torula yeast
pellets are not recommended for fruit fly trapping in mango farms,
and the conclusions of the results by Elsje Joubert et al.(2015)¹⁰ due
to the relative low trap catch numbers and high non-target catches, these were
the results the investigation in South Africa
in according to the two-pest target Ceratitis
capitata and Bactrocera dorsalis.

Table 2. Total Number
of Adult Fruit
flies per Treatment-¹Means with the same letter
does not differ significantly according
to Friedman Test. A single asterisk
(*) indicates a significant difference (p < 0.05),
and a double asterisk (**) indicates a highly
significant difference (p < 0.01).

Figure 1. Total Number of Adult Fruit flies per treatment.
Identification of Flies by genus and species
per treatment
In terms of macroscopic identification of the specimens, the genus with the highest number of detections was Anastrepha fraterculus (822), followed by Anastrepha
obliqua (256), and the last Anastrepha
serpentina with(31) captures.

Table 3.- Identification of flies by genus and species per treatment.

Figure 2. Identification of flies by genus and species per treatment.
Number of fruit flies, females and males, by treatment
Regarding the number of males and females detected by
each treatment, the control, the hydrolyzed protein(T5), resulted in 149 males and 375 females.
This was followed
by treatment (T3) with 133 males and 148 females. Treatment (T1) was in
third place, with 55 males and 184 females. The other treatments, (T4) and (T2), had the lowest capture
values. The percentage of females captured
was 68.70%, and the rate of males was 31.30% of the total captures in
the entire trial. In total, there were 766 females and 349 males.
According to the Friedman test, no statistical differences exist between
the hydrolyzed protein
treatment (T5) and the Torula
treatment(T3). The (T1) EM+yeast+molasses+Ammonium Sulfate treatment captured
slightly more females than the Torula
(T3). Possibly, adult female fruit flies
are attracted to food lures and fermented smells during the fruit and
ripening season.

Table 4. According to the
Friedman Test, the total number of female fruit flies per Treatment-¹Means with
the same letter does not differ significantly. A single asterisk (*) indicates
a significant difference (p < 0.05), and a double asterisk (**) indicates a
highly significant difference (p < 0.01).

Table 5. According to the
Friedman Test, the total number
of male fruit flies per Treatment-¹Means with the same letter do not
differ significantly. A single asterisk (*) indicates a significant difference
(p < 0.05), and a double asterisk (**) indicates a highly significant
difference (p < 0.01).

Figure 3.- Identification of fruit fly species captured
in the research.
FTD Prevalences by month
and each treatment
The prevalence of FTD (Flies per Trap per Day) by month
and each Torula(T3) treatment showed high prevalences during the blossoming and
growing fruit in the first and second months. However, during the mango fruiting
period in the 3rd month
of the trial, the hydrolyzed protein treatment(T5) detected
the highest captures, followed
by the treatment (T1) EM+yeast+molasses. This is likely due to the influence of
climatic conditions (high temperatures and the beginning
of precipitations) in December. Additionally, the presence of mango
fruits contributed to the increase
in the captures of adult fruit flies
for the treatment (T5) and treatment
(T1).

Table 6. FTD (Flies Trap per
day) prevalences by month and each Treatment-¹Means with the same letter do not
differ significantly according to the
Friedman Test. A single asterisk (*) indicates
a significant difference (p < 0.05), and a
double asterisk (**) indicates a highly significant difference (p < 0.01).
DISCUSSION
The hydrolyzed protein treatment was the lure with the
highest number of adult fruit fly captures (T5). Similarly, results
found in the investigation by Meza J. (2022)¹¹ the hydrolyzed protein
treatment had the most
captures in a trial conducted in Los Ríos, the investigation conducted
in the Vinces sector, the treatment with the highest captures was hydrolyzed
protein with 3749 flies. In another study by T. Grout et al.(2021)¹², the
results coincide about
lures and attraction; the treatment with hydrolyzed protein
attracted significantly more flies than any other treatment, and
in all research, the females were significantly more attracted to the baits
than males. The same results were obtained in the survey by Delgado et
al.(2022)¹³ hydrolyzed protein was more effective in capturing young Anastrepha
fraterculus and Ceratitis capitata females. In their trial, they used Mcphail
traps under a mass trapping system.
It is worth mentioning that the treatment with Torula
yeast(T3) also achieved good capture results over 2 months. Additionally,
according to the analysis by Vásquez et al.(2022)¹ᶣ in Homestead, Florida, the Torula yeast and borax treatment got the
best results. The same results were found in the exploration of Hanna et
al.(2020)¹⁵ his study found that the
Torula yeast had more captures
of fruit flies than the other variables like Biolure, NuLure, in that
case, Ceratitis cosyra, and Bactrocera dorsalis, all the research
was conducted in mangoes fields
in Kenya, Africa.
The results attached
to the exploration of Shelly et al.(2024)¹⁶ in which the
treatment with Torula yeast captured females of fruit flies (Bactrocera
dorsalis) better than the others treatments, 2 or 3 components with food
cones (2 components Ammonium Acetato+Putrescina and 3 components Ammonium
Acetato+Putrescina+Trimetilamina), the captures were a significant amount
numbers of females. The Data indicated in the results
of the investigation by Torres
Q. et al.(2021)¹⁷ the torula yeast was attractive 85,2 % and 80,2%
more males and females of Caribbean fruit flies compared to torula
yeast+benzalkonium chloride; the last one is a quaternary compound that was
used to evaluate the effect the addition of this particularly element with
nitrogenous.
However, it should also be highlighted that the mangoes
crop's phenology influences the fruit fly's behavior. The prevalence or not prevalence of the fruit flies depends
on the season of fluctuations in accordance to Nanga S. et al.(2022)¹⁸ it means that with the appears the fruit in the mangoes
tree and also the rainy season,
the peak of capture is highest in the results in this examination.
The EM-yeast-molasse-ammonium sulfate(T1) showed good detection results in the third month of exposure during the fruiting period that findings
agreed with the survey of Benitez L. et al.(2023)¹⁹ the attraction of the
fruit flies is related with ripening of the
fruit it was the conclusion in the searching of the results suggest
that the olfactory preference of A.
obliqua for attractive host is based on the presence or absence of
compounds associated with fruit
mature. The combination of the different lures increases the captures of fruit flies
like in the research
of Muhammad Hasnain
et al.(2023)²⁰ according to the investigators, the combination of a source
of nitrogenous, in this case Ammonium Acetato+Putrescina and food lure jaggery
(Guava pulp), both sexes were attracted of fruit flies (Bactrocera
zonata). The same tendency was evident in the findings
of J.A. Ugwu et al.(2018)²¹
in the field of mangoes
using different kinds of lures and
food baits, showing that the treatment
with food baits (Brewery Waste)
trapped both male and female
fruit flies and the populations was the highest at the peak of mangoes ripening.
Also, in the study of Piñero et al.(2020)²², the attraction of Tephritid fruit
flies to specific
food sources can be
enhanced by the presence of ammonia derivatives, compounds that are perceived
as volatile signals from protein-rich food sources. In that research, their
findings strengthen the understanding of the olfactory behavior of female fruit
flies in response to food-based materials and the extent to which ammonium
acetate modulates the response
of females to protein-rich and protein-deficient materials. The results also concur with the
review of Muhammad
Dildar et al.(2020)²³ the addition of ammonium increases
the captures of fruit flies; in his investigation, the treatment with juice grape
plus ammonium acetate
improved the attraction of females of fruit
flies. The finding suggests that adding ammonium acetate could enhance grape
juice performance in the field. Varikou et al. (2021)²ᶣ in his results show that the mix of source nitrogenous like ammonium
salts with beta-cyfluthrin increases the mean number of captured flies at least
3 to fold (depending on the salt) higher compared to the respective
protein-containing mixture baits instead of the organophosphate phosmet.
Ammonium salts can successfully replace proteins in bait sprays.
Related to the Torula yeast treatment (T3) were almost
similar values; this finding is consistent with the research by Kendra et al.(2021)²⁵,
which noted that fruit odors were more effective lures for female flies than hydrolyzed proteins.
The most prevalent genera and species were Anastrepha fraterculus, Anastrepha obliqua, and
Anastrepha serpentina. Regarding the diversity of fruit flies
at the genus and species
levels, the specimen
with the highest presence throughout the trial was Anastrepha fraterculus, followed by Anastrepha obliqua. Similarly, ( mentioned in their research by Bortoli et
al.(2023)²⁶ in Brazil that the species and genus with the highest number of
captures per trap was Anastrepha
fraterculus, in their study using different lures. The genus Anastrepha spp. has the largest
population of fruit flies in Central and South America, as referred to by
Enkerlin et al.(2021)²⁷. Following the captures of females and males, the
results obtained show 68,70 % females and 31,30% males; the percentage was high
for fruit fly females. The same results agreed with the research by Lasa R. et
al.(2022)²⁸ the number of female fruit flies captured was higher than the males
in the investigation mentioned that all the treatments, food baits, and lures
had a higher number of females than males, and that is a patron reported for
food baits following the genus Anastrepha
spp. According to the examination of Santos J.P. et al.(2022)²⁹, the genus
and species most prevalent in South America is the Anastrepha fraterculus; in
his research, using a food bait with traps, they captured 657 males and 1.064 females of Anastrepha fraterculus. It also found that the treatment with fewer
captures was the grape juice, and the most effective and higher attraction was
the food lure with animal and vegetal elements. The search of Abinaya S. et
al.(2020)³⁰ determined that the captures of females were higher than males in
all the lures tested.
In addition, we can use another alternative, lures or
baits, to reduce the populations of fruit flies on mangoes farms, such as
wasted brewer's yeast. This kind of lure was used in the investigation in
Africa by Ekesi S. et al.(2016)³¹ the
wasted brewer's yeast was used in Kenya, captured 112.1 flies/trap/day, and in
Uganda 109.8 FTD, this kind of lure was used in Ecuador because there a lot of
companies of beer that could offer wasted brewer's yeast.
In China, bait from orange juice to control fruit flies
to examination by Leyuan Liu et al.(2024)³² found a compound called D-Limonene
in the orange juice that attracts fruit flies when they are sexually mature;
that kind of bait could be used to control the population of fruit flies. The
orange is a local product that could be used as an alternative bait in our
country.
Regarding the exploration of Gwang Hyun Roh et al.(2021)³³, another
alternative to get an effective
bait is the guava; the juice of guava could be a great bait to attract
fruit flies; in other research, the juice of guava increases the attractions of
fruit flies for his odor, inclusive better than yeast.
In the Andean countries, there is an ancient beverage
called "chicha," usually used for the celebrations of Andean people;
in Bolivia, the chicha was used as an alternative use to attract
fruit flies to protect their peach
crops in the review of Figueroa Ilich et at.(2018)³ᶣ the results
show that the chicha and baker's yeast were more effective (average FTD 10.31 and
9.49) than the commercial baits hydrolyzed protein (4.71) or Torula yeast (6.82).
The current problem
of food baits like Torula
is that the longevity or attractiveness power is only two weeks. In our investigation, treatment was
changed every two weeks, and the other therapies and food lures were altered
until the twenty-one days. In the case of the hydrolyzed protein, his
attractiveness is around fourteen days. In the investigation by EnkerlinW. et al.(2025)35 have tried synthetic food lures with a significant range of longevity of around ten weeks.
In every research
by EnkerlinW. et al.(2025)³⁵ about food baits like Torula versus
Vial lures in all the countries
México, Argentina, and Colombia the investigations were 8 to 10 weeks; that
research is similar to our investigation, the time duration was so long,
around 12 weeks
I mean 3 months, there is to think that the cycle of life of the fruits flies is
around 28 days. So, our investigation tried to be present in the cycles of the
fruit flies and also to get information about the behavior and attraction of
different baits from the blooming until the ripening of mangoes to understand
the plague better.
The study carried
out by Suarez L. et al.(2023)³⁶ get results a little bit similar to our findings
in the investigation; they used different baits foods from the extraction of orange, apple,
peach, and grapes,
versus Torula and found
that orange juice could be more effective
to capture Medflies
in Autumn, but not in Summer. Our research found that the treatment of Em-molasses-Ammonium Sulfate
got more captures, not at the beginning of the blooming of mangoes, but
the captures were better at the ripening.
COST ANALYSIS
Regarding the economic
analysis of the different attractants, treatment (T1) EM+yeast+molasses+Ammonium Sulfate was cheaper than the others,
with 239 specimens captured (21.43% attraction). Treatment (T3) Torula was the most expensive
attractant, with 261 specimens captured
(23.41% attraction). Treatment (T5)
Hydrolyzed protein resulted in 524 specimens captured, with a 47% attraction rate. The other treatments
had low attraction rates, such as (T2) Guava
fermented with 14 specimens (1.26%
attraction) and (T4) Pineapple
fermented with 77 specimens (6.90% attraction).

Table 7. Cost Table and Economic
Analysis of Fermented
Attractants Prepared by: Bravo, 2023
*Costs expressed in US dollars.
¹ Specimens.
CONCLUSIONS
Based on the results obtained
in the experimental trial, it can be concluded that the hydrolyzed protein lure was the most effective, achieving the highest
captures of adult
fruit flies throughout the trial. However,
the Torula lure demonstrated effectiveness during the blossom and fruit
growth stages. Among the fermented food lures, the EM+yeast+molasses+Ammonium
Sulfate treatment was the only one to show a high prevalence of captures during
the fruiting stage.
In contrast, the guava and pineapple-fermented treatments exhibited the lowest levels of
effectiveness.
In terms of the diversity of genus and species observed
throughout the trial across all treatments, Anastrepha fraterculus and Anastrepha
obliqua were identified as the predominant species. These results
underscore the significant role of these species in the pest population
dynamics in the trial area.
The EM+yeast+molasses+Ammonium Sulfate
treatment (T1) proved
a viable food lure for monitoring and ethological control. The data revealed its effectiveness in attracting species
such as Anastrepha fraterculus, Anastrepha
obliqua, Ceratitis capitata, and Anastrepha serpentina, particularly during the fruiting period
of mangoes. Additionally, this treatment showed
superior female capture
rates during the ripening stage
compared to the Torula lure.
Finally, the EM+yeast+molasses+Ammonium Sulfate
treatment (T1) was also
identified as the most cost-effective option among all the treatments tested. This makes it a promising alternative for small-scale producers seeking affordable and
efficient solutions for fruit fly management.
Supplementary Materials: Not applicable.
Patents: The treatment EM+yeast+molasses+ammonium sulfate was patented in Guayaquil, Ecuador,
with a commercial called "Biofly" in SENADI- National Service
of Intellectual Rights.
Fundings: This research has not received
external funding. International Review Board Statement: Not
applicable. Informed Consent Statement: Not
applicable.
Acknowledgments: The author FB is pleased for the support to the MSc research thesis,
which is part of this sheet, by the Master of Science in Plant Protection
(specialization in agriculture) program at Ecuadorian Agrarian University.
Conflicts of Interest: Autor declares
no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the study's design in the collection, analysis, or interpretation of data, the writing of the manuscript, or the decision
to publish the results.
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Received: November 16, 2024 / Accepted: January
28, 2025, /
Published: March 15, 2025
Citation: Bravo Díaz L, de la Torre E M, Varas Carvajal I, Alvarado Barzallo
A, Valdez D. Evaluation of fermented lures for the monitoring of
Tephritid flies in mangoes cultivation(Manguifera
indica) Chongón- Province of Guayas, Ecuador. Bionatura journal. 2025;
2(1):10. doi: 10.70099/BJ/2025.02.01.10
Additional information Correspondence should be addressed
to luis.bravo.diaz@uagraria.edu.ec, tai- peilouis77@gmail.com
Peer review information. Bionatura thanks anonymous reviewer(s) for their
contribution to the peer review of this work using https://reviewerlocator.webofscience.com/
ISSN.3020-7886
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