Speaking to The Hindu, MRS principal scientist B. Kanaka Mahalakshmi says fruit fly is one of the deadliest pests that causes extensive damage to crops. “A majority of mango-growers are suffering from lower yield due to fruit flies and the damage accounts for about 27% to 42 % of loss in the harvest. In Andhra Pradesh, the loss has been found to be up to 48% if proper measures are no taken. The expert says that the use of chemicals to control mango fruit fly is harmful to consumers as it leaves toxic residue on fruits. Ms. Kanaka Mahalakshmi says that some farmers use jaggery and malathion mixture to attract fruit flies and it is yielding better results, the expert says.

Source: The Hindu May 11, 2021 17:48 UTC