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 diRhagoletis cerasi (L.)in ceraseti biologici della Sicilia occidentale. In:Progetto per lo Sviluppo dell'Agricoltura Biologica inSicilia. Palermo,28-9-2011: 229-238.Sicilia. Palermo,28-9-2011: 229-238.

• PALUMBO PICCIONELLO M., CALECA V. – 2012 -Rhagoletis cerasi (L.) (Diptera: Tephritidae) in WesternSicily: presence, damages and control in organic cherryorchards. IOBC/wprs Bulletin 74:147-155.

Order: DipteraFamily: Tephritidae

Rhagoletis cerasi (L.) Cherry Fly

A problem for late ripening cherry cultivar

in organic farming

Cherry orchards in Sicily (ISTAT, 2008)

• Few news about R. cerasi inEastern Sicily (Fimiani P. et al., 1978,1979)

• No news about R. cerasi in WesternSicily

Evaluation of the incidence of R. cerasi in organic cherry orchards in Western Sicily

through: • survey on presence and population

dynamic of the dipteran

AIMS OF THE RESEARCH

dynamic of the dipteran• assessment of

� damage in cherries; � susceptibility of some late-ripening cultivar;

• control tests with nets, pyrethrum andspinosad

San Giuseppe JatoGrisì

Contessa Entellina

Chiusa Sclafani

Palermo

Province

140 ha

Cherry orchards monitored during the research

(2006-2011)

Chiusa Sclafani

Bivona

Castrofilippo

Sciacca

Agrigento

Province

20 haTraditional cherry area (TRAD)

Isolated cherry orchards (ISOL)

Few cherry orchards area (FEW)

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

Cherry orchards monitored during the research

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

Monitoring (weekly controls) from mid- April to the end of July

by Rebell traps (3 per cherry orchard)

MATERIALS AND METHODS

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 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

RESULTSRESULTS

15

20

25

cap

ture

s p

er

tra

p p

er

we

ek

Average Rhagoletis cerasi captures in three different kinds

of cherry orchards areas (from 2006 to 2011)

0

5

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

R.c

era

sica

ptu

res

pe

r tr

ap

pe

r w

ee

k

Traditional areas Few cherry orchards area Isolated cherry orchards

Intervention threshold

30

40

50

60

R.c

era

si c

ap

ture

s p

er

tra

p p

er

we

ek

Rhagoletis cerasi captures in traditional cherry orchards

areas in five different years (from 2006 to 2011)

2006

2007

2008

2009

0

10

20

30

29 Apr 6 May 13 May 20 May 27 May 3 Jun 10 Jun 17 Jun 24 Jun 1 Jul 8 Jul 15 Jul

R.c

era

si c

ap

ture

s p

er

tra

p p

er

we

ek

2010

2011

Intervention threshold

8

10

12

14

16

Ca

ptu

res/

tra

ps/

we

ek

Average Rhagoletis cerasi captures of males and females in Rebell

traps in cherry orchards in four different years (from 2007 to 2010)

0

2

4

6

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

Ca

ptu

res/

tra

ps/

we

ek

males females

• (1/1 in Campania, Italy, Fimiani et al. 1981; 1/0.5 in Hungary,Tuba 2009)

• Sex ratio ♂♂/♀♀= average 1/0.5 (from 1/0.3 to 1/1.9)

25

30

3522 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

Cap

ture

s/ tr

aps/

wee

kTrend of Rhagoletis cerasi males and females captures in Rebell traps

in five different years (from 2007 to 2011)

males 2007

males 2008

males 2009

♀'10 ♀'07

♀’11

♂'07-08

♀'09

♀'08

♂'09

♂'10

♂’11

Highest captures→

0

5

10

15

20

Cap

ture

s/ tr

aps/

wee

k

males 2010

females 2007

females 2008

females 2009

females 2010

Forecasting the first adult emergence by daily soil temperature or

weekly mean air temperature

80

100

Daily soil temperature

Weekly mean air temperature

GDD for adult emergence

0

20

40

60

11-mar 26-mar 10-apr 25-apr 10-mag 25-mag 9-giu 24-giu 9-lug

Chiusa Sclafani (campo 1) Chiusa Sclafani (campo 2) Chiusa Sclafani (campo 3)

Soglia d'intervento sulle cattureIntervention threshold (5 flies per week)

Weekly adult captures in three cherry orchards

20

25

30

35

% in

fest

ati

on

on

ch

err

ies

Average Rhagoletis cerasi infestation in traditional cherry

orchards area in 5 years (from 2006 to 2011)

2006

2007

2008

2009

0

5

10

15

20 May 27 May 3 Jun 10 Jun 17 Jun 24 Jun

% in

fest

ati

on

on

ch

err

ies

2010

2011

Damage

threshold

15

20

25

30

10

15

20

25

% in

fest

ati

on

on

ch

err

ies

cap

ture

s p

er

tra

p p

er

we

ek

Average Rhagoletis cerasi captures and infestation in three

different types of cherry orchards areas (from 2006 to 2011)

0

5

10

0

5

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

% in

fest

ati

on

on

ch

err

ies

R.

ce

rasi

cap

ture

s p

er

tra

p p

er

we

ek

Infestation traditional areas Infestation few cherry orchards area

Traditional areas Few cherry orchards area

Isolated cherry orchards

Intervention threshold

Damage threshold

Scatterplot (Max. captures of the year vs Max. infestation level of the year)

80

100

120M

ax. c

aptu

res

of th

e ye

ar (

caug

ht fl

ies

per

trap

per

wee

k)

Dam

age

thre

shol

d(4

% in

fest

ed c

herr

ies)

Correlation captures vs. infestation

In 16 cases (out of 26) (low/high) captures agree

with the (low/high) infestation

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Max. infestation level of the year (% infested cherries)

0

20

40

60

Max

. cap

ture

s of

the

year

(ca

ught

flie

s pe

r tr

ap p

er w

eek)

Dam

age

thre

shol

d(4

% in

fest

ed c

herr

ies)

Intervention threshold (5 captures per trap per week)

60

70

80

90

100

% s

teri

le p

un

ctu

res

on

ch

err

ies

Sterile punctures of Rhagoletis cerasi on cherries in 6 years

(2006-2011)

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

0

10

20

30

40

50

14-mag 19-mag 26-mag 5-giu 12-giu 19-giu 24-giu

% s

teri

le p

un

ctu

res

on

ch

err

ies

2011

Susceptibility late ripening cherry cultivars in 2008

Cappuccia di Chiusa Sclafani

Moscatella di Chiusa Sclafani

Mora di Vignola

Susceptibility of analyzed cultivar linked to the ripening period and not to a different

attractant power of cultivars

Vertical bars show 95% confidence intervals

0.04

0.06

0.08

0.10A

ttack

s pe

r ch

erry

Untreated Net Pyrethrum Spinosad

Control test in San Giuseppe Jato in 2009

n.s.

10Jun09 18Jun09 29Jun09-0.06

-0.04

-0.02

0.00

0.02

Atta

cks

per

cher

ry

Vertical bars show 95% confidence intervals

0.06

0.08

0.10

0.12

0.14A

ttack

s on

che

rry

Untreated Net Pyrethrum

Control tests in San Giuseppe Jato in 2010

abba

26May10 31May10 7Jun10-0.08

-0.06

-0.04

-0.02

0.00

0.02

0.04

Atta

cks

on c

herr

y

Vertical bars show 95% confidence intervals

0.03

0.04

0.05

0.06

0.07A

ttack

s pe

r ch

erry

Untreated Net Pyrethrum

Control tests in Chiusa Sclafani in 2010

n.s.

24May10 1Jun10 8Jun10-0.04

-0.03

-0.02

-0.01

0.00

0.01

0.02

Atta

cks

per

cher

ry

Control tests in Chiusa Sclafani in 2011Vertical bars show 95% confidence intervals

0.02

0.03

0.04

0.05at

tack

s pe

r ch

erry

Untreated Net Pyrethrum

n.s.

26May11 03Jun11 08Jun11

-0.01

0.00

0.01

0.02

R. c

eras

i atta

cks

per

cher

ry

Control tests in San Giuseppe Jato in 2011Vertical bars show 95% confidence intervals

(Repeated measurements ANOVA)

0.15

0.20

0.25at

tack

s pe

r ch

erry

Untreated Pyrethrum Net

0.06 a0.03 b0.00 c

a''

a''

26May11 03Jun11 10Jun11 21Jun11

-0.05

0.00

0.05

0.10

R. c

eras

i atta

cks

per

cher

ry

b''

a'

ab'

• Rhagoletis cerasi recorded in allsampled orchards, except in the twoisolated and new ones.

• Peaks of R. cerasi flies in the last ten

CONCLUSIONS

• Peaks of R. cerasi flies in the last tendays of May.

• Sex ratio of adults shows more malesthan females (1:0.5).

CONCLUSIONS

• Not a high correlation between adultscaptures in traps and infestation incherries.

• Low damages by R. cerasi in Western• Low damages by R. cerasi in WesternSicily.

• Until 25 May infestation under thedamage threshold in all cultivar.

CONCLUSIONS

• Sterile punctures, here quantified for thefirst time, recorded in all period of fruitsamplings.

• Pyrethrum lowered cherry fly infestationonly in one case; the net was the besttool 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 forcontacts and helpfulness.

Thanks for your attention