Publication Type

Journal Article

Journal Name

Biological Control

Publication Date

1-1-2026

Abstract

The melon fly Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Coquillett) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is a significant pest of cucurbit crops, responsible for substantial yield losses and economic damage across Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Control of this pest currently relies heavily on synthetic insecticides, which are associated with environmental and human health risks, and contribute to the development of insecticide resistance. Entomopathogenic fungi offer a promising eco-friendly alternative, yet effectiveness of delivery methods remains a critical limitation in their widespread adoption. This study evaluated the efficacy of three application modes of Metarhizium anisopliae (Mechnikov) Sorokin (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) isolate ICIPE 69, autodissemination devices (AD), soil inoculation (soil), and their combination (AD + soil), for control of Z. cucurbitae in courgette Cucurbita pepo L. (Cucurbitales: Cucurbitaceae) cultivated in field cages. Experiments were conducted in triplicate for two seasons i.e., April to August 2021 (season one) and October 2021 to February 2022 (season two). Infestation with 400 Z. cucurbitae (1: 1 male: female) adults and application of treatments was conducted at the onset of flowering. Fungal conidia acquisition of flies, conidial persistence in soil, Z. cucurbitae population dynamics and C. pepo yield were assessed. Flies in the AD treatment acquired the highest number of conidia (13.17 ± 0.89 conidia/fly) while those in the soil treatment acquired the lowest (0.87 ± 0.27 conidia/fly). AD + soil treatment significantly reduced Z. cucurbitae puparial recovery and suppressed adult fly populations more effectively than the individual treatments. The highest marketable yield was recorded in the AD + soil treated field cages while lowest yield was recorded in the control. These findings underscore the potential of combining entomopathogenic fungus delivery strategies to improve biological control of Z. cucurbitae and enhance crop productivity. Further field evaluations for compatibility with other biological control interventions and economic analyses are recommended to facilitate uptake among farmers.

Keywords

Biopesticide, Cucurbita pepo, Entomopathogenic fungus, Zeugodacus cucurbitae

Disciplines

Entomology

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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