Control of the Caribbean Fruit Fly on Three Peach Cultivars in Adjuntas, Puerto Rico

Low-chill peach cultivars (‘Flordaprince’, ‘TropicBeauty’, and ‘Flordaglo’) were evaluated in two sites (Beneficiado and Montana) in Adjuntas, PR. Fruit yield and quality were severely reduced by Caribbean fruit fly [ Anastrepha sus­pensa (Loew)], which had not been previously reported in peaches in Puerto Rico. The objective of this study was to evaluate a control method for this species. To evaluate fruit fly control, a paired design was used. Three pairs of trees per cultivar (similar yield) were chosen in the two peach sites. One of the two sites was sprayed weekly with GF-120 NF Naturalyte® (Dow AgroSciences). Mature fruits were harvested randomly from each tree on four sampling dates. A lower number of fruit fly larvae were observed in fruits from treated trees. Differences in the number of fruit fly larvae between pairs within each cultivar were evaluated by a paired t test. Statisical analysis results demonstrated the efficiency of the treatment to control A. suspensa in the evaluated peach cultivars. By increasing the treated area, efficacy should improve.