KNOWLEDGE GAPS, TRAINING NEEDS AND BIOECOLOGICAL STUDIES ON FRUIT-INFESTING FLIES (DIPTERA: TEPHRITIDAE) IN NORTHERN GHANA

Abstract

Tephritid fruit flies are a major threat to the horticultural industry in sub-Saharan Africa owing to the heavy losses they cause to fruit and vegetable crops, and the resultant quarantine restrictions. Addressing the fruit fly menace in Ghana requires effective stakeholder training along the fruit value chain, coupled with adequate research information on management strategies. Baseline studies were conducted in northern Ghana to determine the priority management training needs of fruit growers and Agricultural Extension Agents (AEAs), and to document the host range, species composition, seasonal phenology and parasitoid fauna of the pests. The studies involved the use of questionnaire for surveys coupled with a two-year collection and incubation of wild and cultivated fruits from selected sites in the Northern, Upper West and Upper East regions of the country. Fruit growers in all the regions were generally aware that fruit flies were serious horticultural pests responsible for the high losses in their fruit and vegetable production. Fruit growers in the Northern Region were more familiar with the economically important fruit fly species (especially the African invasive fruit fly, Bactrocera invadens) and their damage impact, compared with those in the other regions. Even though basic control practices were adopted by some farmers, a significant proportion of the growers took no action to control the pests. Recommended fruit fly control strategies such as pheromone trapping, bait application, soil inoculation and biological control were virtually unknown to the growers, with the majority of them resorting to the application of unprescribed chemicals with potential environmental and health risks. AEAs demonstrated fair knowledge in majority of the competency aspects of the pests. The top 5 competency areas in need for further training of AEAs included; knowledge of the economically important species, their economic impact, life cycle, host plant associations and control strategies