Relation of fruit color, elongation, hardness, and volume to the infestation of olive cultivars by the olive fruit fly, Bactrocera oleae

TY - JOUR

T1 - Relation of fruit color, elongation, hardness, and volume to the infestation of olive cultivars by the olive fruit fly, Bactrocera oleae

AU - Lombardo, Alberto

AU - Caleca, Virgilio

AU - Rizzo, Roberto

PY - 2012

Y1 - 2012

N2 - The susceptibility of olive cultivars to the olive fruit fly, Bactrocera oleae (Rossi) (Diptera: Tephritidae), has seldom been studied. This article examines factors associated with olive fruit fly infestation of 16 commonly planted Sicilian olive cultivars. Total infestation data were simultaneously correlated with categorical and quantitative factors using ordinal logistic regression. When all factors were included in the analysis, year, sampling date, cultivar, and fruit color were highly significant, but the quantitative factors fruit volume, fruit elongation, and fruit hardness were not. When the analysis was repeated excluding cultivar, all quantitative factors were significant, and elongation and volume were highly significant. Spherical, large, and hard fruit seemed to be preferred by B. oleae over fruit that are elongate, small, and soft. Therefore, fruit color, elongation, volume, and hardness provide useful information regarding the susceptibility of cultivars. In both organic and conventional olive cultivation, information about olive cultivar susceptibility to olive fruit fly will help orchard managers to produce quality oil and table olives while reducing treatments for olive fruit fly control.

AB - The susceptibility of olive cultivars to the olive fruit fly, Bactrocera oleae (Rossi) (Diptera: Tephritidae), has seldom been studied. This article examines factors associated with olive fruit fly infestation of 16 commonly planted Sicilian olive cultivars. Total infestation data were simultaneously correlated with categorical and quantitative factors using ordinal logistic regression. When all factors were included in the analysis, year, sampling date, cultivar, and fruit color were highly significant, but the quantitative factors fruit volume, fruit elongation, and fruit hardness were not. When the analysis was repeated excluding cultivar, all quantitative factors were significant, and elongation and volume were highly significant. Spherical, large, and hard fruit seemed to be preferred by B. oleae over fruit that are elongate, small, and soft. Therefore, fruit color, elongation, volume, and hardness provide useful information regarding the susceptibility of cultivars. In both organic and conventional olive cultivation, information about olive cultivar susceptibility to olive fruit fly will help orchard managers to produce quality oil and table olives while reducing treatments for olive fruit fly control.

KW - Key words: fruit volume, fruit elongation, fruit hardness, ordinal logistic regression, Diptera Tephritidae, susceptibility, Olea europaea, Oleaceae, oviposition

UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10447/65829

M3 - Article

VL - 145

SP - 15

EP - 22

JO - Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata

JF - Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata

SN - 0013-8703

ER -