ABSTRACT
Mango (Mangifera indica L.) is one of the key products of the Cuban export market. This crop is threatened by a great number of pests and diseases, reaching between 10% and 50% of economic losses worldwide. Tephritid fruit flies are among the key pests of mangoes, deserving specific control programs in many countries. In the 1950s, Cuba established a risk mitigation protocol for Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) that has been updated regularly, including some other key tephritid species belonging to the genus Anastrepha. According to these programs, in late 2008, a study on tephritid invasions demonstrated that only two species of Anastrepha, namely A. suspensa (Loew) and A. obliqua (Macquart) are established in the island of Cuba, threatening the fruit export market. In 2015, the Plant Protection Cuban agency established the basis for the risk mitigation protocol for the mango export industry. This protocol is the objective of the present study. Four mango production areas were selected to survey the application of the Anastrepha spp. Risk Mitigation Protocol, following the systems approach indicated as the most appropriate for export. This protocol includes monitoring with a trap grid set at 0.3 McPhail baited traps per hectare, dissection of fruits (mango and guava), establishment of fruit traceability notebooks, training of local personnel, quarantine measures, and selection of orchards, among other measures. 334Fruit flies per trap per day (FTD) indexes were determined in each area. Trapping, inter-cropping of fruits and noncrop host fruit surveillance, orchard sanitation, and periodical data registry were set up. Only seven Anastrepha spp. were trapped throughout the whole study period (January 2016–June 2017), five A. suspensa females and two A. obliqua males, which were captured outside the studied commodity. A multicomponent systems approach has been established to reduce the risk of Anastrepha spp. in mango varieties destined for international export.
