AGROECOLOGICAL AND CLIMATE-SMART STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING CUCURBIT FRUIT FLIES: USE OF BIO-INTENSIVE TOOLS, LANDSCAPE DESIGN AND FARMER KNOWLEDGE

Abstract

Cucurbit fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae), predominantly Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Coquillett), impose severe yield reductions (30–100%) on crops including bitter gourd, chayote, and bottle gourd through larval pulp consumption, compounded by polyphagy across >125 hosts, climate-mediated population surges, and regional pest complexes involving Bactrocera spp. This review integrates agroecological and climate-adaptive frameworks, prioritizing bio-intensive interventions (e.g., 25% cue-lure mass trapping, Bacillus thuringiensis applications, yellow sticky traps), landscape diversification (intercropping, cover cropping for natural enemy habitats), and farmer-centric knowledge systems to diminish synthetic insecticide dependence. Climate-smart components encompass meteorological-pest forecasting models, resilient cultivars, minimized tillage, and participatory IPM to mitigate weather-driven shifts in infestation dynamics and enhance agroecosystem resilience. Targeted research addressing neotropical contexts, long-term phenological modelling, and validation trials is advocated to optimize sustainable management, ensuring crop productivity, ecological integrity, and socioeconomic viability in vulnerable production landscapes. This synthesis aims to bridge current knowledge gaps by systematically evaluating the efficacy and interplay of these diverse management strategies within varying agroecosystem contexts, thereby informing the development of integrated pest management protocols tailored for cucurbit production. This comprehensive approach seeks to delineate synergistic relationships between different intervention types, aiming for a robust, multi-pronged defence against fruit fly incursions that is both environmentally sound and economically feasible for farmers. The overarching goal is to foster sustainable intensification in cucurbit farming systems, transitioning from reactive, chemical-dependent control to proactive, ecologically informed pest management paradigms.