Integrated Pest Management of Durian Fruit Borer, Conogethes punctiferalis Guenée (Crambidae: Lepidoptera) for Quality Durian Production

Abstract

Durian fruit borer (Conogethes punctiferalis) is a serious pest of durian and the effective integrated pest management strategies are currently lacking. The objective of this research was to evaluate appropriate integrated pest management tactics for durian fruit borer. The research was conducted at a durian orchard in Chang Klang District, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province during January to July 2022. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. Six treatment combinations were as follows: 1) spray of insecticide + fruit bagging with spun-bonded bag + yellow sticky trap + spray of Beauveria bassiana, 2) spray of insecticide + fruit bagging with spun-bonded bag, 3) spray of insecticide + fruit bagging with plastic bag + yellow sticky trap + spray of Metarhizium anisopliae, 4) spray of insecticide + fruit bagging with blue nylon bag, 5) spray of insecticide + fruit bagging with blue nylon bag + yellow sticky trap + spray of B. bassiana and 6) untreated treatment (control treatment). All integrated control tactics gave durian fruit 100% protection from durian fruit borer. On the other hand, fruit losses caused by this pest in untreated treatment were high ranging from 53.33-66.67% at 5-16 weeks after blossom. Furthermore, the highest benefit cost ratio of 12.85 was obtained from the combination between spray of insecticide + fruit bagging with spun-bonded bag, followed by spray of insecticide + fruit bagging with blue nylon bag (10.05). The results revealed that the combination between spray of insecticide + fruit bagging with spun-bonded bag or blue nylon bag could effective control of fruit borer in durian orchard.