FRUIT FLY INFESTATION AND ITS IMPACT ON MANGO (Mangifera indica . L.) PRODUCTION IN OYAM DISTRICT, UGANDA
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Date
2016
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Publisher
Gulu University
Abstract
Worldwide, fruit fly infestation is a major constraint to mango production. In Oyam district
northern Uganda. mango fruits drop on the ground due to fruit fly attack. This is
disheartening and frustrates efforts to diversify agriculture. Despite the overwhelming
economic importance of mangoes, efforts to assess the impact of fruit flies (Diptera:
Tephritidae) have been minimal. In this study, the fruit fly species causing damage and their
damage level on mango fruits and local perspectives on the pest were assessed. Matured
mango fruits were collected from purposively selected 30 trees belonging to I 0 mango
varieties between May and July 2011. assessed for fruit fly damage and incubated
individually Knowledge and perceptions of smallholder's growers and fruit vendors on the
fruit fly pest and their management practices were sought by use of semi-structured
questionnaires and focus group discussions respectively. Bactrocera invadens and Ceratitis
rosa Wft.! identified as the fruit fly species causing damage on mango fruits. Bactrocera
invadens was the most abundant (99.4%).The percentage median levels of damage varied
from 7.56 to 84.34 among the mango varieties. The most damaged mango varieties were
Ddodo'Atik'. Gleen and Alphonso. whereas the least damaged were Ddodo'lndia' and
Ddodo·Totol'. The infestation index for B invadens was 53.42 adults/kg infested fruit and for
C rosa was 0.3 adults/kg infested fruit. The general knowledge about the fruit fly pest and
the damage its cause was limited among the mango growers and fruit vendors. The results of
this study indicate that B mvadens is the main species causing high damage and economic
loss on mango fruits in Oyam district. The results further suggest that there is no proper
management of fruit flies by mango stakeholders. This highlights the need to make the
management of mango fruit fly pest a high priority in all the agricultural, marketing and
developmental plans.