RHAGOLETIS CERASI (L.) IN WESTERN SICILY: PRESENCE, DAMAGES AND CONTROL IN ORGANIC CHERRY ORCHARDS Manuela Palumbo Piccionello, Virgilio Caleca, Matteo Maltese DEMETRA Department, Entomology, Acarology and Zoology Section, Università di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, 90128 Palermo, Italy. E-mail: manuelapalumboagr@gmail.com, virgilio.caleca@unipa.it
Two already published papers: PALUMBO PICCIONELLO M., MALTESE M., CALECA V. 2011 - Dannosità e controllo di Rhagoletis cerasi (L.) in ceraseti biologici della Sicilia occidentale. In: Progetto per lo Sviluppo dell'agricoltura Biologica in Sicilia. Palermo, 28-9-2011: 229-238. PALUMBO PICCIONELLO M., CALECA V. 2012 - Rhagoletis cerasi (L.) (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Western Sicily: presence, damages and control in organic cherry orchards. IOBC/wprs Bulletin 74:147-155.
Rhagoletis cerasi (L.) Cherry Fly Order: Diptera Family: Tephritidae A problem for late ripening cherry cultivar in organic farming
Cherry orchards in Sicily (ISTAT, 2008)
Few news about R. cerasi in Eastern Sicily (Fimiani P. et al., 1978, 1979) No news about R. cerasi in Western Sicily
AIMS OF THE RESEARCH Evaluation of the incidence of R. cerasi in organic cherry orchards in Western Sicily through: survey on presence and population dynamic of the dipteran assessment of damage in cherries; susceptibility of some late-ripening cultivar; control tests with nets, pyrethrum and spinosad
Cherry orchards monitored during the research Grisì San Giuseppe Jato (2006-2011) Palermo Province Contessa Entellina 140 ha Chiusa Sclafani Sciacca Bivona Traditional cherry area (TRAD) Few cherry orchards area (FEW) Isolated cherry orchards (ISOL) Agrigento Province 20 ha Castrofilippo
Cherry orchards monitored during the research Area 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 TOTAL Bivona TRAD X 1 Chiusa Sclafani 1 TRAD X X X 3 Chiusa Sclafani 2 TRAD X X X X X X 6 Chiusa Sclafani 3 TRAD X X 2 Chiusa Sclafani 4 TRAD X X 2 San Giuseppe Jato 1 TRAD X X X X X X 6 San Giuseppe Jato 2 TRAD X X X 3 Castrofilippo 1 FEW X X X 3 Castrofilippo 2 FEW X 1 Grisì FEW X X X 3 Contessa Entellina ISOL X X 2 Sciacca ISOL X 1 TOTAL 5 6 8 4 6 4 33
MATERIALS AND METHODS Monitoring (weekly controls) from mid- April to the end of July by Rebell traps (3 per cherry orchard)
Sex ratio / in yellow traps
Control tests with nets, pyrethrum and spinosad Mesh 1 x 2 mm
Control tests with nets, pyrethrum and spinosad 3 treatments (1 per week) by: Pyrethrum (Biopiren plus 160 ml/hl); Spinosad (Laser 30 ml/hl).
Sampling on cherries (at commercial harvesting: mid- May June): 1. 100 fruits/ week/ orchard.
Sampling on cherries (at commercial harvesting: mid- May June): 1. 100 fruits/ week/ orchard. 2. Observation under the stereomicroscope
RESULTS
R.cerasi capture es per trap per week 25 20 15 10 5 0 Average Rhagoletis cerasi captures in three different kinds of cherry orchards areas (from 2006 to 2011) Intervention threshold 22 Apr 29 Apr 6 May 13 May20 May27 May 3 Jun 10 Jun 17 Jun 24 Jun 1 Jul 8 Jul 15 Jul Traditional areas Few cherry orchards area Isolated cherry orchards
R.cerasi captures per trap per week 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Rhagoletis cerasi captures in traditional cherry orchards areas in five different years (from 2006 to 2011) 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Intervention threshold 29 Apr 6 May 13 May 20 May 27 May 3 Jun 10 Jun 17 Jun 24 Jun 1 Jul 8 Jul 15 Jul
Average Rhagoletis cerasi captures of males and females in Rebell traps in cherry orchards in four different years (from 2007 to 2010) 16 14 12 Capture es/ traps/ week 10 8 6 4 males females 2 0 22 Apr 29 Apr 6 May 13 May 20 May 27 May 3 Jun 10 Jun 17 Jun 24 Jun 1 Jul 8 Jul 15 Jul Sex ratio / = average 1/0.5 (from 1/0.3 to 1/1.9) (1/1 in Campania, Italy, Fimiani et al. 1981; 1/0.5 in Hungary,Tuba 2009)
Trend of Rhagoletis cerasi males and females captures in Rebell traps in five different years (from 2007 to 2011) Captures/ traps s/ week 35 30 25 20 15 10 22 Apr 29 Apr 6 May 13 May 20 May 27 May 3 Jun 10 Jun 17 Jun 24 Jun 1 Jul 8 Jul 15 Jul Highest captures '10 '09 '07 '10 '08 11 11 '09 '07-08 males 2007 males 2008 males 2009 males 2010 females 2007 females 2008 females 2009 females 2010 5 0
Forecasting the first adult emergence by daily soil temperature or weekly mean air temperature 100 GDD for adult emergence 80 Daily soil temperature Weekly mean air temperature 60 40 Weekly adult captures in three cherry orchards 20 Intervention threshold (5 flies per Soglia week) d'intervento sulle catture 0 11-mar 26-mar 10-apr 25-apr 10-mag 25-mag 9-giu 24-giu 9-lug
Average Rhagoletis cerasi infestation in traditional cherry orchards area in 5 years (from 2006 to 2011) % infestation on cherries 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Damage threshold 20 May 27 May 3 Jun 10 Jun 17 Jun 24 Jun
25 Average Rhagoletis cerasi captures and infestation in three different types of cherry orchards areas (from 2006 to 2011) 30 R. cerasi captur res per trap per week 20 15 10 5 0 Intervention threshold Damage threshold 22 Apr 29 Apr 6 May 13 May 20 May 27 May 3 Jun 10 Jun 17 Jun 24 Jun 1 Jul 8 Jul 15 Jul Infestation traditional areas Infestation few cherry orchards area Traditional areas Few cherry orchards area Isolated cherry orchards 25 20 15 10 5 0 % infestati ion on cherries
120 100 80 Correlation captures vs. infestation Scatterplot (Max. captures of the year vs Max. infestation level of the year) In 16 cases (out of 26) (low/high) captures agree with the (low/high) infestation Max. captures of the year (caught flies per trap per week) Damage threshold (4% infested cherries) 60 40 20 0 Intervention threshold (5 captures per trap per week) 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 Max. infestation level of the year (% infested cherries)
Sterile punctures of Rhagoletis cerasi on cherries in 6 years (2006-2011) % sterile punctures on cherries 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 10 0 14-mag 19-mag 26-mag 5-giu 12-giu 19-giu 24-giu
Susceptibility late ripening cherry cultivars in 2008 Cappuccia di Chiusa Sclafani Mora di Vignola Moscatella di Chiusa Sclafani Susceptibility of analyzed cultivar linked to the ripening period and not to a different attractant power of cultivars
Control test in San Giuseppe Jato in 2009 0.10 Vertical bars show 95% confidence intervals 0.08 0.06 Untreated Net Pyrethrum Spinosad n.s. Attacks per cherry 0.04 0.02 0.00-0.02-0.04-0.06 10Jun09 18Jun09 29Jun09
Control tests in San Giuseppe Jato in 2010 0.14 0.12 0.10 Untreated Net Pyrethrum Vertical bars show 95% confidence intervals ab b a 0.08 Attacks on cherry 0.06 0.04 0.02 0.00-0.02-0.04-0.06-0.08 26May10 31May10 7Jun10
Control tests in Chiusa Sclafani in 2010 0.07 Vertical bars show 95% confidence intervals 0.06 0.05 Untreated Net Pyrethrum n.s. 0.04 Attacks per cherry 0.03 0.02 0.01 0.00-0.01-0.02-0.03-0.04 24May10 1Jun10 8Jun10
Control tests in Chiusa Sclafani in 2011 0.05 Vertical bars show 95% confidence intervals 0.04 Untreated Net Pyrethrum n.s. R. cerasi attacks per cherry 0.03 0.02 0.01 0.00-0.01 26May11 03Jun11 08Jun11
Control tests in San Giuseppe Jato in 2011 0.25 Vertical bars show 95% confidence intervals (Repeated measurements ANOVA) R. cerasi attacks per cherry 0.20 0.15 0.10 0.05 Untreated Pyrethrum Net 0.06 a 0.03 b 0.00 c a a' b' a'' b'' a'' 0.00-0.05 26May11 03Jun11 10Jun11 21Jun11
CONCLUSIONS Rhagoletis cerasi recorded in all sampled orchards, except in the two isolated and new ones. Peaks of R. cerasi flies in the last ten days of May. Sex ratio of adults shows more males than females (1:0.5).
CONCLUSIONS Not a high correlation between adults captures in traps and infestation in cherries. Low damages by R. cerasi in Western Sicily. Until 25 May infestation under the damage threshold in all cultivar.
CONCLUSIONS Sterile punctures, here quantified for the first time, recorded in all period of fruit samplings. Pyrethrum lowered cherry fly infestation only in one case; the net was the best tool that reduced the infestation.
AKNOWLEGEMENTS Farmers: Bono, Brucculeri, Fanara, Lucia, Lupo, Motisi, Perricone, Traina. Collaborators (students): A. Blanda, G. Catania, E. Lucia, G. Polizzi, G. Puccio, V. Russo, B. Vitrano. Antonino Raimondo and Antonino Abbate for contacts and helpfulness.
Thanks for your attention