Effect of the host plant on some biological parameters of Ceratitis capitata (Diptera, Tephritidae) in the extreme south-eastern Algeria (Sahara)

Abstract

This paper studies the effect of the plant support on the biological activity of Ceratitis capitata, as well as the estimated infestation rate of certain fruit trees (orange, mandarin, fig, apricot and pomegranate) in two regions of extreme south-eastern Algeria. The results show that the fruits most bitten by the Mediterranean fly are pomegranates with a number varying between 2 and 40 bites/fruit (9.2 ± 0.5 bites/fruit), while figs are the least bitten with a number varying between 1 and 4 bites/fruit (1.7 ± 0.1 bites/fruit). In terms of infestation, apricot (Rd = 93.3%) and pomegranate (Rd = 88.6%) are the trees most attacked by Ceratitis capitata, while orange is the least attacked (Rd = 42%). The study of some bio-ecological parameters of this bio-aggressor shows that the pupal period varies according to the type of host plant, between 6.9 ± 1.7 days (apricot) and 13.0 ± 1.8 days (mandarin), with zero emergence for orange tree. Pupae size varies very little between host plants, with 4.2 ± 0.2 mm for languor and 1.9 ± 0.0 mm for large diameter. The emergence rate also varies between crops (p = 0.038) from 33.8 ± 14.7% (apricot) to 63.4 ± 20.5% (mandarin). The same is true for adult longevity. The sex-ratio of C. capitata is higher for females on all host plants. Thus, this study shows that the infestation of C. capitata depends on the host plants, the pupal stage duration, the emergence rate and the longevity of adults (very long during the winter and decreased during the summer period)