RECORDER REPORT

LAHORE: Cleanliness of orchards is mandatory to control fruit fly which is harmful for Guava, Citrus, Mango and orchards of other fruits.

This was warned by the Punjab Agriculture Department (PAD) in an advisory issued for orchard farmers here on Monday. A spokesman of the department said due to attack of fruit fly our farmers bear larger economical loss.

He said that the experts stress upon cleanliness of orchards to control fruit fly. The sexual traps for monitoring of fruit fly Methyl Eugenol is used to control male fruit fly whereas Pertinacious Bait is used to control female fruit fly. Hoeing should be done four to five times to eliminate the pupae of fruit fly. By placing the affected fruits for 8 to 9 hours at hard surface the larvae and pupa of fruit fly will be eliminate.

Spokesman also disclosed that the elimination of dropped fruits is necessary because fruit fly reproduces inside the fruits can enter in the soil after growing up and remained in the soil in the shape of pupa. After then by uncovering, come outside the soil and male-female complete mating process. After mating, female fruit fly lays eggs inside the fruits and this process continues. The host plants for fruit fly may not be cultivated near the orchards.

Agriculture Department Punjab has started to produce these beneficial insects in laboratories. The larval parasitoid and pupail parasitoid beneficial insects will be provided free of cost to the farmers to control fruit fly.