Landscape Vegetation Productivity Influences Population Dynamics of Key Pests in Small Avocado Farms in Kenya

Avocado (<i>Persea americana</i> Mill.) production contributes to the economic growth of East Africa. However, poor fruit quality caused by infestations of tephritid fruit flies (Tephritidae) and the false codling moth, <i>Thaumatotibia leucotreta</i> (Meyrick), hampers acces...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Nadia K. Toukem, Abdullahi A. Yusuf, Thomas Dubois, Elfatih M. Abdel-Rahman, Marian Salim Adan, Samira A. Mohamed
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-07-01
Series:Insects
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/11/7/424
Description
Summary:Avocado (<i>Persea americana</i> Mill.) production contributes to the economic growth of East Africa. However, poor fruit quality caused by infestations of tephritid fruit flies (Tephritidae) and the false codling moth, <i>Thaumatotibia leucotreta</i> (Meyrick), hampers access to lucrative export markets. Remote sensing and spatial analysis are increasingly applied to crop pest studies to develop sustainable and cost-effective control strategies. In this study, we assessed pest abundance in Muranga, Kenya, across three vegetation productivity classes, <i>viz</i>., low, medium and high, which were estimated using the normalised difference vegetation index at a landscape scale. Population densities of the oriental fruit fly, <i>Bactrocera dorsalis</i> (Hendel) and <i>T. leucotreta</i> in avocado farms were estimated through specific baited traps and fruit rearing. The population density of <i>T. leucotreta</i> varied across the vegetation productivity classes throughout the study period, although not significantly. Meanwhile, <i>B. dorsalis</i> showed a clear trend of decrease over time and was significantly lower in high vegetation productivity class compared to low and medium classes. <i>Ceratitis cosyra</i> (Walker) was the most abundant pest reared from fruit with few associated parasitoids, <i>Pachycrepoideus</i> <i>vindemmiae</i> (Rondani) and <i>Toxeumorpha nigricola</i> (Ferriere).
ISSN:2075-4450