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Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation are fostering more sustainable and effective solutions for a wide spectrum of agricultural problems. Pest management is a major challenge for crop production that can benefit from machine learning techniques to detect and monitor specific pests and diseases. Traditional monitoring is labor intensive, time demanding, and expensive, while machine learning paradigms may support cost-effective crop protection decisions. However, previous studies mainly relied on morphological images of stationary or immobilized animals. Other features related to living animals behaving in the environment (e.g., walking trajectories, different postures, etc.) have been overlooked so far. In this study, we developed a detection method based on convolutional neural network (CNN) that can accurately classify in real-time two tephritid species (Ceratitis capitata and Bactrocera oleae) free to move and change their posture. Results showed a successful automatic detection (i.e., precision rate about 93%) in real-time of C. capitata and B. oleae adults using a camera sensor at a fixed height. In addition, the similar shape and movement patterns of the two insects did not interfere with the network precision. The proposed method can be extended to other pest species, needing minimal data pre-processing and similar architecture.

In radar entomology, one primary challenge is detecting small species (smaller than 5 cm) since these tiny insects reflect radiation that can be poorly observable and, therefore, difficult to interpret. After a literature search on radar entomology, this research found few works where it has been possible to sense insects with dimensions smaller than 5 cm using radars. This paper describes different methodologies to detect Mediterranean fruit flies with 5–6 mm sizes using a pulsed W-band radar and presents the experimental results that validate the procedures. The article’s main contribution is the successful detection of Mediterranean fruit flies employing the shadow effect on the backscattered radar signal, achieving an 11% difference in received power when flies are present. So far, according to the information available and the literature search, this work is the first to detect small insects less than 1 cm long using a pulsed radar in W-Band. The results show that the proposed shadow effect is a viable alternative to the current sensors used in smart traps, as it allows not only detection but also counting the number of insects in the trap.

Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) and Anastrepha fraterculus (Wiedemann) (both Diptera: Tephritidae) cause severe economic losses to fruit production; thus, it is important to know the population fluctuations of these pests that share the same habitat and compete for similar niches, as well as to know their relationship with fruit infestation, all of which are fundamental components for understanding how to manage the risks of infestation in farms with a diversity of susceptible hosts. In the present research, the spatio-temporal distribution of C. capitata and A. fraterculus in 3 fruit farms was analyzed together with the incidence of fruit damage in different host species and cultivars. Seventy-nine Jackson traps baited with trimedlure and 88 McPhail traps baited with Torula yeast were monitored from Sep 2014 to Jun 2016, and a total of 5,700 fruits were sampled during the 2 seasons. The Spearman correlation coefficient between captures and fruit infestation was calculated, and maps of accumulated captures and fruit infestation distribution were built by site and season. Population fluctuation and fruit infestation were plotted for both fruit fly species, whereas population fluctuation discriminated by sex was analyzed for C. capitata. The Spearman correlation coefficient between C. capitata captures in McPhail traps during the 2 wk prior to harvest and the percentage of infested fruits was 0.62 (P = 0.0001), whereas for Jackson traps it was 0.34 (P = 0.02). The correlation between A. fraterculus captures in McPhail traps and fruit infestation was 0.59 (P = 0.0001). The variation observed in the number of adults and fruit infestation of both pest species between sites and host species groups is discussed.

Abstract The Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann, 1824) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is among the main pests of fruit crops worldwide. Biological control using entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) may be an alternative to suppress populations of this pest. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the pathogenicity and virulence of six EPN isolates (Heterorhabditis bacteriophora HB, H. amazonensis IBCB-n24, Steinernema carpocapsae IBCB-n02, S. rarum PAM-25, S. glaseri IBCB-n47, and S. brazilense IBCB-n06) against C. capitata pupae. The compatibility of EPNs with different chemical insecticides that are registered for management of C. capitata was also assessed. Isolates of H. bacteriophora HB and S. brazilense IBCB-n06 at a concentration of 1,000 infective juveniles (IJ)/ml proved to be most pathogenic to C. capitata (70 and 80% mortality, respectively). In contrast, the isolates H. amazonensis IBCB-n24, Steinernema carpocapsae IBCB-n02, S. rarum PAM-25, S. glaseri IBCB-n47 provided pupal mortality of less than 60%. Bioassays to determine lethal concentrations indicated that concentrations of 600 IJ/ml (H. bacteriophora HB) and 1,000 IJ/ml (S. brazilense IBCB-n06) showed the highest virulence against C. capitata pupae. In contrast, the highest numbers of IJs emerged at concentrations of 1,200 and 200 IJ/ml. In compatibility bioassays, malathion, spinetoram, phosmet, acetamiprid, and novaluron were considered compatible with and harmless (Class 1) to H. bacteriophora HB and S. brazilense IBCB-n06, according to IOBC/WPRS. This information is important for implementing integrated management programs for C. capitata, using biological control with EPNs, whether alone or in combination with chemical insecticides.

Effective pest population monitoring is crucial in precision agriculture, which integrates various technologies and data analysis techniques for enhanced decision-making. This study introduces a novel approach for monitoring lures in traps targeting the Mediterranean fruit fly, utilizing air quality sensors to detect total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) and equivalent carbon dioxide (eCO2). Our results indicate that air quality sensors, specifically the SGP30 and ENS160 models, can reliably detect the presence of lures, reducing the need for frequent physical trap inspections and associated maintenance costs. The ENS160 sensor demonstrated superior performance, with stable detection capabilities at a predefined distance from the lure, suggesting its potential for integration into smart trap designs. This is the first study to apply TVOC and eCO2 sensors in this context, paving the way for more efficient and cost-effective pest monitoring solutions in smart agriculture environments.

Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) or medfly is a polyphagous pest of fruit crops worldwide. The Asian-native larval parasitoid Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Ashmead) is mass-reared at the San Juan Biofactory and is currently released for medfly control in Argentina. Information on parasitoid survival, reproduction, and population growth parameters is critical for optimizing the mass-rearing process and successfully achieving large-scale release. This study provides a first-time insight into the demography of two population lines of D. longicaudata: one mass-reared on medfly larvae of the Vienna-8 temperature-sensitive lethal genetic sexing strain and the other on larvae of the wild biparental medfly strain. The aim was to compare both parasitoid populations to improve mass-rearing quality and to assess performance on medfly in a semi-arid environment, typical of Argentina’s central-western fruit-growing region. Tests were performed under laboratory and non-controlled environmental conditions in semi-field cages during three seasons. Dl(Cc-bip) females exhibited higher reproductive potential than did Dl(Cc-tsl) females under lab conditions. However, both Dl(Cc-bip) and Dl(Cc-tsl) were found to be similar high-quality females with high population growth rates in warm–temperate seasons, i.e., late spring and summer. Dl(Cc-bip) females were only able to sustain low reproductive rates in early autumn, a colder season. These results are useful for improving the parasitoid mass production at the San Juan Biofactory and redesigning parasitoid release schedules in Argentina’s irrigated, semi-arid, fruit-growing regions.

Background The Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata , is a significant agricultural pest managed through area-wide integrated pest management (AW-IPM) including a sterile insect technique (SIT) component. Male-only releases increase the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of SIT programs, which can be achieved through the development of genetic sexing strains (GSS). The most successful GSS developed to date is the C. capitata VIENNA 8 GSS, constructed using classical genetic approaches and an irradiation-induced translocation with two selectable markers: the white pupae ( wp ) and temperature-sensitive lethal ( tsl ) genes. However, currently used methods for selecting suitable markers and inducing translocations are stochastic and non-specific, resulting in a laborious and time-consuming process. Recent efforts have focused on identifying the gene(s) and the causal mutation(s) for suitable phenotypes, such as wp and tsl, which could be used as selectable markers for developing a generic approach for constructing GSS. The wp gene was recently identified, and efforts have been initiated to identify the tsl gene. This study investigates Ceratitis capitata deep orange ( Ccdor ) as a tsl candidate gene and its potential to induce tsl phenotypes. Results An integrated approach based on cytogenetics, genomics, bioinformatics, and gene editing was used to characterize the Ccdor . Its location was confirmed on the right arm of chromosome 5 in the putative tsl genomic region. Knock-out of Ccdor using CRISPR/Cas9-NHEJ and targeting the fourth exon resulted in lethality at mid- and late-pupal stage, while the successful application of CRISPR HDR introducing a point mutation on the sixth exon resulted in the establishment of the desired strain and two additional strains ( dor 12del and dor 51dup ), all of them expressing tsl phenotypes and presenting no (or minimal) fitness cost when reared at 25 °C. One of the strains exhibited complete lethality when embryos were exposed at 36 °C. Conclusions Gene editing of the deep orange gene in Ceratitis capitata resulted in the establishment of temperature-sensitive lethal mutant strains. The induced mutations did not significantly affect the rearing efficiency of the strains. As deep orange is a highly conserved gene, these data suggest that it can be considered a target for the development of tsl mutations which could potentially be used to develop novel genetic sexing strains in insect pests and disease vectors.

Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann, 1824) is a significant insect pest of fruits produced worldwide and is capable of causing direct and indirect damage to fruit. Chemical control is the most frequently used management strategy, mainly involving organophosphate insecticides. However, the frequent use of this chemical group has resulted in unacceptable chemical residues on fruits. In this study, the toxicity of 18 insecticides was evaluated in adults and larvae of C. capitata in a laboratory. The organophosphate insecticides chlorpyrifos (Lorsban 480BR), phosmet (Imidan 500WP), and malathion (Malathion 1000EC); the spinosyns spinetoram (Delegate 250WG) and spinosad (Tracer); and the pyrethroid alpha-cypermethrin (Fastac 100SC) caused high mortality (>80%) in C. capitata adults in topical application bioassays and by ingestion when mixed with Biofruit 5% food lures. However, the insecticides chlorfenapyr (Pirate), spinetoram and chlorpyrifos produced a significant reduction in larval infestation of the fruits (67, 74, and 84% larval mortality, respectively). Insecticides based on spinosyns, alpha-cypermethrin, and cyantraniliprole are alternatives that can replace organophosphates in the management of C. capitata in the field.

Abstract Improvements in the mass rearing of Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Ashmead) on larvae of the Vienna-8 temperature-sensitive lethal genetic sexing strain of Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae) (= GSS Vienna-8) at the San Juan biofactory, Argentina, are currently under way. Lowering cost production is a key factor regarding parasitoid rearing. Thus, the variation in mass-reared parasitoid encapsulation levels and the incidence of superparasitism were determined; also, the gamma radiation dose-effect relation on host larvae and the influence of Mediterranean fruit fly strain were considered. Naked Mediterranean fruit fly larvae of both GSS Vienna-8 and a wild bisexual strain (= WBS) aged 6-d-old were irradiated at 0, 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, and 120 Gy, and exposed to parasitoid females. Melanization level was tested for encapsulated parasitoid larval first-instars (= L1). Non-irradiated and irradiated WBS larvae at 20–40 Gy displayed a significantly higher incidence of encapsulation when compared with GSS Vienna-8 larvae. The low melanized level in encapsulated parasitoid L1 was the most common melanization process at 72 h puparium dissection. A high melanized level was only found in non-irradiated WBS larvae. Irradiated GSS Vienna-8 larvae can neutralize the host immunological reactions over irradiated WBS larvae much more quickly. Superparasitism intensity in both Mediterranean fruit fly strains was not affected by radiation doses. High levels of superparasitism seemingly helped to overcome the host’s immune reaction by the surviving parasitoid larva. Parasitoid emergence increased from 60 Gy onwards in both Mediterranean fruit fly strains. Radiation in GSS Vienna-8 larvae may favor host’s antagonistic reactions decrease in relation with D. longicaudata development.

Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann, 1824) is the main insect pest of fruits worldwide. The objective of this study was to evaluate the toxicity and residual effects of the ready-to-use toxic baits Success 0.02CB (0.24 g of active ingredient [a.i.] per liter of spinosad) and Gelsura (6 g of a.i./liter of alpha-cypermethrin) and to compare them with other food lures containing spinosad and malathion mixed with hydrolyzed protein (Biofruit 5% and Flyral 1.25%), Anamed without dilution or sugarcane molasses (7%) against adult C. capitata in laboratory and greenhouse trials. Ceratitis capitata adults were highly susceptible to all toxic bait formulations (mortality > 80%) until 96 h after exposure. The lowest LT50 (hours) of toxic baits were 2.32 (Gelsura at 4,000 mg/liter), 4.26 (Gelsura at 2,000 mg/liter), 4.28 (Anamed + malathion) and 4.89 (sugarcane molasses + malathion), while formulations containing spinosad (Biofruit, Flyral, Anamed and Success 0.02CB) showed LT50 of approximately 11 h. Without rain, Gelsura (2,000 mg/liter) and all spinosad formulations provided mortality superior to 80% 14 d after application. Gelsura and Anamed + spinosad showed higher resistance to a 5-mm simulated rain, similar to Anamed + malathion, while the other formulations had its efficacy decreased. All toxic baits were effective on adult C. capitata in residual experiments without rain while Anamed + spinosad caused high adult mortality after 5 to 25 mm rains. Gelsura and Anamed + spinosad can be used to replace toxic baits containing malathion for C. capitata population management.