PESTS OF MORINGA :: MAJOR PESTS ::POD FLY

Distribution and status: Serious pest of moringa in South India.
Host range: Moringa

Gitona distigma

Damage symptoms : Maggots enter into tender fruits by making small-bore holes at the terminal end. This causes oozing out of gummy fluid from fruits, which ultimately results in the drying of fruits from tip upwards. A maximum of 20-28 maggots are found in a fruit. Internal contents of the fruits rot.
Bionomics : Activity is maximum from April to October and declines thereafter. Adult is a small yellowish fly with red eyes. Wings extend beyond body and have a dark spot near the coastal margin. Cigar shaped, sculptured and white coloured eggs are laid on the grooves of tender pod either singly or in groups of 3-4. Egg period 3-4 days, maggot period 18-25 days. Full-grown cream coloured maggots pupate in soil for 5-9 days.
Management

1. As moringa pod flies are not attracted to methyl eugenol and fish meal, use attractants like citronella oil, eucalyptus oil, vinegar (acetic acid), dextrose or lactic acid to trap flies.
2. Periodically collect and destroy all the fallen and damaged fruits by dumping in a pit and covering with a thick layer of soil to prevent carry-over of the pest.
3. Frequently rake up the soil under the trees or plough the infested field to destroy puparia and apply endosulfan 4% at 25 Kg/ha or drench NSKE 5% at 2 L/tree at 50% fruit set.
4. Spray dichlorvos  76 SC 500 ml or malathion 50 EC 750 ml in 500 - 750 ml of water per ha when pods are 20-30 days old and  apply Azadirachtin 0.03 % 1.0 L during 50% fruit set and 35 days later.