Early infestation volatile biomarkers of fruit fly Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) ovipositional activity in mango (Mangifera indica L.)

Infestation of agricultural commodities by insect pests results in significant economic, import and export, food safety, and invasive insect introduction issues for growers, consumers, and inspectors. The Oriental fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis) is considered a highly invasive insect pest with populations reported in more than 60 countries, with prevalent distributions in Asia and Africa. B. dorsalis is phytophagous with a host range encompassing hundreds of fruits and vegetables. Damage to the fruit or vegetable is inflicted through oviposition and subsequent larval feeding resulting in spoilage. Early detection of insect pest infestations is a critical component for ensuring food safety as well as controlling introduction and spread of invasive insects. However, detection of ovipositional activity and early larval development is visually difficult, thus rapid and non-destructive detection often relies on odors associated with infestation. We investigated the odors of mangoes (Mangifera indica L.) infested with B. dorsalis and compared the volatile profiles of infested mangoes to non -infested and mechanically damaged mangoes 24 h post-infestation. GC-MS and multivariate analyses provided the identification of eleven compounds unique to infested mangoes compared to mechanically damaged or non -infested fruit. Results indicated compositional and quantitative differentiation of volatile profiles among treat-ments for detection of infested fruit at quality checks or points of commerce.

Automated summary

The infestation of agricultural commodities by insect pests, such as the highly invasive Oriental fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis), poses economic, import and export, food safety, and invasive insect introduction issues. Detecting infestations early on is crucial for ensuring food safety and controlling the spread of invasive insects. This study investigated the odors of infested mangoes to identify compounds that can be used for rapid and non-destructive detection of infested fruit.