A new report of a fly, Melanagromyza sp. (Diptera: Agromyzidae) on carrot (Daucus carota L.) from India

Abstract

We describe the economic damage caused by the infestation of carrot fly, Melanagromyza sp. (Diptera: Agromyzidae), on tap roots resulting in inferior quality carrots with lower marketable price. The study was conducted in major carrot growing districts of Karnataka, India, where adult fly activity commenced 25-27 days after sowing (DAS) and damage by maggots was noticed around 45 DAS. Taproots of 1 to 40 days old were free from the pest attack and the feeding damage prevailed up to 60 days in the field. The report highlights that the pest is widely distributed in all surveyed locations of Karnataka. Pest incidence ranged from 0.74 to 20.77 per cent, with the highest incidence recorded from Kolar in July.