Investigation of comparative biology of Bactrocera dorsalis on various hosts

Abstract

Studies on comparative biology revealed that the female laid eggs in small clusters just underneath the rind of fruit, 2-4 mm. During the studies, lower incubation period of Bactrocera dorsal was recorded in mango (2.68±0.60) followed by that sapota (2.76±0.83), guava (3.00±0.71) and banana (3.12±0.67 days). The pre-pupal period did not differ (0.5 to 1 day) when Bactrocera dorsalis was reared on different hosts. The pupation of Bactrocera dorsalis took place at the depth of 0.5 to 5.0 cm in the soil. The average oviposition period was recorded as 6.12±1.44 days on mango, 5.96±1.65 on guava, 5.52±1.50 on banana and 5.48±1.45 on sapota. Correspondingly, the post-oviposition period was recorded as 3.40±0.82 on sapota, 3.04±0.84 on banana, 3.00±0.76 on guava and 2.88±0.78 days on mango. The total life cycle of male was shorter (24.50 to 36.50 days) than the female (30.00 to 46.00 days) ignoring of host fruit. The total life cycle was finalized in 24.50 to 46.50 days on different hosts however; it was little on mango than rest of the fruits. Therefore, the further study recommended that mango was the most acceptable fruit for faster development of Bactrocera dorsalis.