Occurrence, damage, and population dynamics of the olive fruit fly (Bactrocera oleae Gmelin) in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

Abstract

The olive is one of the most important crops of the Mediterranean region. Ninety-eight percent of the world’s olive production occurs in this region. However, pest control is a major concern of olive growers, and the olive fruit fly is one of the major economic pests. The aim of this research was to observe their population, infestation rates, and effect on the quality of olive oil. This research included 14 olive groves within 2 different locations. To determine the population dynamics of adult olive fruit flies, 6 yellow sticky traps were placed haphazardly within the tree canopies (approximately 1.5 m in height) of each olive grove between the months of July and December during 2015 and 2016. Results showed that the infestation rate decreases when relative humidity increases (Pearson correlation: -0.597; P = 0.01). On the other hand, negative weak correlation was observed between the altitude and infestation rate (Pearson correlation: -0.206; P = 0.01). Interestingly, positive moderate correlation was determined between average temperature and infestation rate (Pearson correlation: +0.523; P = 0.01). As expected, positive moderate to high correlation (Pearson correlation: +0.735; P = 0.01) was determined between the olive fruit fly infestation rate and oil/acid ratio. This research is the first comprehensive study of olive fruit fly population dynamics and provides valuable information of its ecology within the Mediterranean climate.