By Arooj Zulfiqar

ISLAMABAD, Aug 12 (INP-WealthPK): Fruit flies are the major pests causing a lot of damage to crops in Pakistan, eroding the incomes of growers, particularly the small farmers.

Not just in Pakistan but throughout the world, the fruit fly is considered as the principal pest of fruits and vegetables. Fruit flies have caused enormous harm to fruits and vegetables all over the world, which is why experts consider them to be a crucial class of quarantine pests.

Talking to WealthPK, Muhammad Bilal Ashraf Khan, a scientific officer at the National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC), said, “Fruit fly is the biggest reason of fruit diseases, not only in Pakistan but also throughout the world.”

“Fruit flies can attack and harm fruits both with harder and soft skins. Examples of these include berries, summer fruit, mangoes, grapes, apples, etc.,” he said.

“The adult fruit fly feeds on fruits and vegetables and lays eggs there. When the eggs hatch, the maggots feed on the fruit flesh and consume it. Fruit flies within guavas are an example to be quoted,” he maintained.

Bilal Ashraf said the use of insect – or fruit fly – proof netting is the most efficient approach to stop fruit flies from destroying fruits. “The mesh of these nets is much finer than bird netting and prevents fruit flies from reaching fruit.”

The NARC researcher maintained: “The other way to control these fruit flies is to utilise pest traps, such as yellow, light, or high traps. Moreover, because they don’t contain sprays, these traps don’t harm crops. However, if traps are unable to control an infestation, sprays will be used.”

Talking to WealthPK on condition of anonymity, an expert in horticulture at the NARC, said fruit fly was a big threat to Pakistan like it was to the rest of the world.

He said among the multitude of insect pests, fruit flies were the most damaging. “These pests mostly attack soft fruits such as cherries. More than 80% of damage is caused by this pest globally. In Pakistan, nine species of this fruit fly have been identified,” he added.

“The adult female fruit fly lays eggs in the flesh of both ripening and ripe fruits and vegetables. Once the eggs hatch, the larvae (maggots) begin to feed on the fruit from inside out, causing it to rot and drop to the ground,” he said.

“To tackle this problem, comprehensive solutions are needed. We can manage fruit flies by chemical, cultural or biological control,” he stated.

“Management of fruit flies is still difficult. To combat the invasion of various insects on the field, modern approaches must be promoted and put into use. If the fruit fly problem is not resolved nationally, it will not only have a negative impact on our agricultural exports but will also result in a decrease in productivity,” he added.

“We have to educate the farming community to tackle the situation to help boost their incomes,” he concluded.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk