Abstract
Agriculture remains a major source of subsistence for local communities in India. However, agricultural yield can be strongly affected by agricultural pest outbreaks. This can result in economic losses for small-scale farmers who already experience socio-economic challenges, such as lack of appropriate infrastructure and subsides. Sophisticated pest management techniques (e.g. sterile insect technique) are less accessible to small farmers in developing countries, and therefore, alternative cost-effective approaches for pest management are needed. Here, we report our findings of a 3-year field trial (2018–2020) in India, which was designed to test for the potential effectiveness of a novel, slow-release formulation protein-based trap, compared to standard Cuelure traps against melon flies Bactrocera cucurbitae (Diptera: Tephritidae). Protein-bait traps can attract flies from both sexes (as opposed to male-only, chemical traps), bearing the potential to have a greater long-term impact on pest populations by decreasing future reproductive potential of trapped individuals. We found that, despite uneven sampling efforts, Cuelure had overall higher trapping performance, while protein-bait traps, despite trapping at lower efficiency, were equally effective for trapping males and females. Simulations with our field data revealed that protein-bait traps can have an ‘inclusive’ advantage by trapping females and thereby preventing future individuals. Overall, our study highlights the potential benefits of using this alternative trapping technique to supplement pest management in developing countries.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 916-923 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Journal of Applied Entomology |
Volume | 147 |
Issue number | 10 |
Early online date | 8 Sept 2023 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Dec 2023 |
Bibliographical note
ACKNOWLE DGE MENTSThis study was carried out in collaboration with the Indian Gherkin Export Association (IGEA). We would like to thank anonymous re-viewers and the editors for useful comments on the manuscript. NN conducted this work during her NERC QUADRAT REP program (NE/S007377/1) in JM's lab. JM and AWM are supported by a BBSRC grant (BB/V015249/1).Data Availability Statement
Raw data are available in Dryad: https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.w6m905qvhAdditional supporting information can be found online in the Supporting Information section at the end of this article.
Keywords
- agriculture
- innovation
- IPM
- pest control
- SDGs