Damage Patterns, Monitoring, and Management of Procontarinia mangiferae (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) in Pakistan

Abstract

Since 2005, mango has been damaged by a group of new pests, the gall midges, in all mango-growing areas of Pakistan. Little is known about these pests in Pakistan. In this report, we present information on the occurrence, damage patterns, methods for monitoring, and management of Procontarinia mangiferae (Felt), a mango gall midge found in the country. At the study site (Rahim Yar Khan, a district of the province Punjab, Pakistan), the pest was active from January/February to April as eggs, larvae, and adults on mango inflorescence buds, branches (axillaries), and immature fruits. Females of P. mangiferae oviposited in inflorescence tissues, and larvae, after feeding on plant tissues, dropped to the soil under the mango trees for pupation from February to April. Mango trees in commercial orchards were more heavily damaged by P. mangiferae than were isolated trees in farmer fields (66.7%). The adults of P. mangiferae were captured on sticky traps of all tested colors, and were in flight from January to May. Captures per trap were highest on yellow traps, followed by green, blue, and clear traps. Control of mango gall midge was effectively provided by the synthetic insecticide bifenthrin (Talstar 10 EC) and also by application of neem seed kernel extract on the tree canopy if integrated with raking the soil under the mango tree canopy.