ABSTRACT
Brazilian mango exports have increased, principally in the northeast, during the 1990s due to the exceptional climate and soil conditions as well as low incidence of pests. Under natural conditions Anastrepha obliqua shows a strong preference for fruits of the plant family Anacardiacae, especially for mango, ciriguela and caja. Several authors have tried to explain the different degrees of infestation by fruit flies. According to F. M. Lara, when an insect feeds normally on a plant and the plant has an adverse effect on its biology, this type of resistance is called antibiosis. According to D. M. Joel, the mango fruit is characterized by resin ducts located in the exocarp, which confer protection against two types of movements in the exocarp: the vertical movement of the ovipositor, and larval movement. Joel also states that there exists a significant correlation between the presence of resin ducts and the resistance of mango fruits to the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata.
