PRODUCTION OF QUALITY AND COSMETIC VALUED MANGOES AND MANAGEMENT OF FRUIT FLY (TEPHRITIDAE: DIPTERA)

Mango (Mangifera indica L) is delicious fruit, full of carbohydrates, vitamins A and C, minerals and dietary fibers. Major problem, in trade of mango fruit among countries, is attack of many species of fruit flies (Tephritidae: Diptera). Due to this major problem, most countries have imposed sanctions on import of mangoes with contamination of fruit fly eggs and / or larvae. An easy way to control the pest under discussion is the use of chemical pesticides which leads to other relevant problems like health hazards linked with persistency of chemicals and onset of resistance in the pest. In present study, fourteen cultivars of commercial mango cultivars were tested against fruit fly attack and found that early maturing varieties like Dusehri, Malda, Langra and Chaunsa, had no to less attack of fruit fly which was mainly because of less fly population build up in early months. Covering or wrapping fruits with paper or cloth bags is another technique by which chemical and fruit fly free mangoes can be harvested. In that experiment, six types of bags were tested and found that bags of Korean -1 type remained at top and fruits in those bags had shiny and healthy appearance with no fruit fly. On the other hand, the fruits without bagging had more than 55 % damage done by the fly. Results found in the current work reveal that there are methods to control pests without losing quality and health of fruits.