Tajdar, Alia, Ejaz, Shaghef, Zaib, Muhammad Shah, Ishfaq, Anum, Zaka, Syed Muhammad, Safeer, Hafiz Muhammad, and Abbas, Khalid
Bactrocera zonata is an important pest of different fruits in tropical and subtropical regions. It damages the fruits at early ripening stage and reduces the quality and the final yield of fruit crop. Moreover, to maintain the quality parameters of fruits after harvesting, is an important aspect of post-harvest management. For the management of fruit fly and to keep the natural quality of fruit after harvesting different methods are used (cultural practices, mechanical practices, biological practices), but chemical control practices are dominant among all. Besides quick and effective outcomes of chemical control. It also has side effects (residues in fruits, human health issues, resistance, damage to non-target population, environment pollution). In the present study the effect of different botanical extracts on the olfactory response of B. zonata and on the post-harvest quality parameters of banana was evaluated. Extracts of Moringa olifera, Mentha pipertia, Zingiber officinale, and Cinnamomum spp. were prepared in methanol, ethanol, and distilled water. The olfactory response of B. zonata was studied in Y-tube olfactometer and effect on the quality parameters (colour, taste, weight loss, pH, and titratable acidity) of banana was evaluated in laboratory conditions. The olfactory results of the present study showed that all botanical extracts exhibited the repellent effect against B. zonata, but the methanolic extract of cinnamon showed the highest repellence activity against B. zonata. Moreover, no side effects were observed on the post-harvest quality of banana treated to different methanolic extracts as compared to control. This shows that botanical extracts could be used for the control of B. zonata and for the better post-harvest management of fruits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]