Study of the distribution of fruit fly (Anastrepha spp. And Ceratitis spp.) In the central mountains of the Ecuador

Abstract

This article proposes a systematization and analysis of the NPPO report of Ecuador, focusing on the provinces of the central highlands of the country during 2023. The objectives included: Identifying the provinces and quarters with the highest population density of Anastrepha spp. and Ceratitis spp., and analyzing the relationship between their distribution and main hosts in the study provinces. A total of 9,274 monitoring sessions were carried out in four provinces of the Central Highlands. The variables evaluated included the percentage of fruit fly incidence by genus in each province, the MTD (Fly Trap Index per day), and its distribution by main host. From these data, total sums and percentages were obtained for each province, which allowed tabulating, systematizing, and grouping the components of the population characteristics during the period covered by this study. In addition, frequency and percentage calculations were performed. For the interpretation of the results, descriptive statistics were applied; the main results and conclusions obtained indicate that: The greatest abundance of these genera was observed in the winter, with Tungurahua being the province with the highest presence, reaching 88.94%. Ceratitis capitata and Anastrepha fraterculus were most prevalent in the mandarin fruit species, with 39.87%, followed by avocado, which accounted for 21.91%. The MTD indices for the routes were less than 0.14, while those for the other scenarios were 0.