LAS “FRUIT FLIES” AT FINCA LA CRISTINA

A STUDY ON FOOD-BASED ATTRACTANTS

Abstract

This paper presents the method, discussions and results of a study that sought to compare the efficiency of the food attractants torula yeast, diammonium phosphate and apple cider vinegar, to trap "fruit flies", in an agroecological plot destined for food production located in the Temperate Valleys of Jujuy province.  a region where peach cultivation is of economic importance. The work allowed detecting the presence of the quarantine pests Ceratitis capitata (Wied) and Anastrepha spp. in "McPhail" type traps. Given the nature of the data found, the Kruskal-Wallis "Non-Parametric Test" was performed to compare the efficiency of each attractant. The analysis indicates that torula yeast would be more efficient. On the other hand, the MTD index (fly-trap-day) was calculated and compared with another MTD  from a previous study that shows a population increase of the fly at the beginning of spring and provides a value that proposes a strategy that confronts the pest seeking to prevent its population growth. This work is considered original for the region, by virtue of the special conditions offered by the focused agroecosystem. In addition, in such dynamic environmental contexts, it is always useful to acquire basic local knowledge about the ecology and behaviour of this pest that is polyphagous and widely distributed in the region.