Studies on Dispensers of Melolure in the Attraction of Melon Fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae

The efficacy of seven dispenser blocks of melolure (4-formyloxyphenylbutenone-2) was evaluated against the melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillet) in bitter gourd, Momordica charantia L. The average ranking of dispensers based on the mean fly catch per week was in the order of plywood block (10.93) > acacia wood block (6.57) > strawboard block (8.20) > cotton wad block (6.63)> rubber block (2.40) > sponge block (2.50) > soft board block (1.73). The mean persistence period of melolure was highest in acacia wood block (9.0 weeks), followed by plywood block (8.0 weeks). The straw board block absorbed the maximum quantity of melolure mixture (26.07 ml), while the sponge block absorbed the lowest quantity (6.17 ml). The plywood block recorded a maximum catch efficiency of 0.65 flies per ml of melolure mixture absorbed and the lowest catch efficiency (0.09 flies/ml) was observed in soft board block.