Fruit flies (Diptera, Tephritidae) are the main pests of horticulture worldwide. Because they are considered key pests in citrus production, it is necessary to monitor them to avoid the direct damage. The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the population variation of Anastrepha fraterculus and the relationship of its population with damage in organic orchards of orange "Céu" cultivar and tangor (C. sinensis x Citrus reticulata) cv "Murcott". Data were collected over the maturation period, from January 2003 to September 2004, in the Caí Valley region, State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The number of fruit flies was recorded weekly by McPhail traps containing grape juice at 25%. Damageto the fruits were determined by the ratio between healthy fruits and fruit damaged by the flies. Meteorological records of temperature, relative humidity and rainfall were obtained from meteorological station 30 km away from the experimental areas. It was found that larger populations of A. fraterculus, the predominant species in the region, were found under ideal conditions of rainfall. The estimatedpopulation of fruit flies capable of causing damage to fruits varied according to the cultivar, in which orange cv 'Céu' was the most susceptible. The highest population peaks were found at the color changing phase of fruits. However, at the phase of fruit maturity, flies caused the greatest damage due to the fruits intolerance to the attack. It was concluded that the infestation of citrus fruits by A. fraterculus is related to the species, the cultivar and climatic factors, especially rainfall. Constant monitoring of fruit fly population is important in determining the infestation at harvest.
Anastrepha fraterculus; damages on citrus fruits; meteorological data; organic agriculture; sampling
