The effect of weather factors on the activity of peach fruit fly Bactrocera zonata (Diptera: Tephritidae) on guava orchards in Dakahlia and Kafr ElShaikh Governorates

Abstract

Peach fruit fly (PFF) Bactrocera zonata (Saunders) (Diptera: Tephritidae) thought about one of the most harmful pests destroying guava fruits. This study was carried out to evaluate the efficiency of weather factors on the activity of PFF in Dakahlia and Kafr El-Shaikh Governorates during 2023. The results suggested that the population of PFF noted three distinct peaks of activity during the guava fruiting season of 2023 in Dakahlia and Kafr El-Shaikh Governorates. These results showed that PFF had three peaks in the mean of infestations per fruit and percentage of infestations at Dakahlia and Kafr ElShaikh Governorates. Data illustrated that the percentage of infestations per fruit of PFF increased by (0.128) in Dakahlia, while it increased by (0.116) in Kafr El-Shaikh Governorate. The obtained results revealed that low responses to the mean temperature and low responses to RH% in Dakahlia the correlation coefficient value was insignificant at Dakahlia (r = 0.02), % in response to RH% the correlation coefficient value was insignificant negative (r= -0.3), at Kafr El-Shaikh Governorate. Temperature degrees, whereas the correlation was significant (r= 0.76). In response to relative humidity, the correlation value was insignificantly negative (r= -0.35).