The relationship of fruit size and light condition with number, activity and price of Blastophaga psenes wasp in caprifigs
2016
Khadivi-Khub, Abdollah | Anjam, Karim
KEY MESSAGE : Coming out of Blastophaga from fruits having higher weight and thicker flesh was higher. Also, Blastophaga wasp needs full light for suitable activity like honey bees. Smyrna and San Pedro figs require pollination (caprification) for fruit set by profichi crop of caprifigs and Blastophaga psenes wasp. The present study, including two experiments, was conducted in Estahban region, Iran. Firstly, characters including number of Blastophaga wasp, fruit weight, ostiole diameter, fruit flesh diameter and cut fruit diameter were evaluated for 36 caprifig genotypes. A high variability was found in the evaluated genotypes, and significant differences were found between them for all of the fruit traits. Blastophaga number exited from fruits having higher weight and thicker flesh was higher than those with lower weight and thinner flesh. Secondly, the effect of different light treatments (0.00, 50 and 100 % light conditions) was studied on the coming out of Blastophaga from fruits of ‘Poozdombali’ caprifig genotype. The highest activity and coming out of Blastophaga wasp was observed at 100 % light. Thus, Blastophaga needs full light for suitable activity like honey bees. Now, the price of a Kg Blastophaga wasp is 10 $ in Estahban market. Thus, fig growers should buy or collect the caprifig fruits with having higher weight and thicker flesh for caprification of edible figs.
Show more [+] Less [-]AGROVOC Keywords
Bibliographic information
This bibliographic record has been provided by National Agricultural Library