Effect Of Some Essential Oils on The Repellence Behavior of The Peach Fruit Fly, Bactrocera Zonata (Saunders)

The peach fruit fly, Bactrocera zonata (Saunders), is a major pest of the Tephritidae family, causing significant economic damage globally. Native to India, where it was first recorded in Kashmir, B. zonata has since spread to various regions, particularly Asia and the Mediterranean, affecting many crops, including peach, custard apple, guava, mango, and citrus. Infestations result in fruit damage, premature fruit drop, and the imposition of quarantine restrictions that disrupt export markets. As resistance to chemical pesticides continues to rise, the need for alternative pest control methods becomes increasingly urgent. Plant-derived insecticides are emerging as an eco-friendly and sustainable solution for pest management, as they effectively control pest populations while posing minimal risks to non-target organisms. In this study, a behavioral bioassay was performed using Petri dishes to evaluate the behavioral response to three essential oils, namely limonene, thymol, and methyl salicylate, of B. zonata adult females over four intervals of 15, 30, 45, and 60 minutes. The results revealed that methyl salicylate exhibited consistent repellent effects across all time intervals. In contrast, thymol showed repellent effects only after 60 minutes, while no significant differences were observed with limonene. In the field, essential oil formulations reduced the population density of B. zonata on citrus fruits. These findings highlight the ecological potential of methyl salicylate as a promising, eco-friendly pest control agent