Suputa Suputa

Root-knot nematodes ( Meloidogyne spp.) are a major global constraint on crop productivity. The second-stage juvenile (J2) is the infective stage of nematode that actively seeks out and infects plant roots; thus, accurate identification at this stage is important for effective nematode management and control. However, current identification practices remain challenging and is time-consuming, due to their reliance on expert-dependent microscopic examinations. This challenge creates significant barriers to scalability and rapid decision-making. To address this, we propose a morphology guided hybrid deep learning framework for identifying Meloidogyne graminicola and M. incognita at the J2 stage. The proposed framework integrates biologically relevant shape descriptors with deep visual representations to improve species discrimination. Standardized morphological features are fused with convolutional embeddings via a modified MobileNetV2 classifier head, to enable joint and discriminative representation learning. The proposed approach was evaluated against morphology-based machine learning models and end-to-end deep learning baselines. The results demonstrate that the proposed morphology guided deep learning improves classification performance and interpretability. It provides a lightweight and biologically informed solution for automated identification of J2 root-knot nematode species.

Accurately determining the status of fruit fly species is crucial for sustainable management in horticultural systems. This study was compared para-pheromone traps and host rearing data for recorded fruit flies in eight commodities in East Java and Yogyakarta, Indonesia: angled luffah, chili, cucumber, durian, guava, jackfruit, snake fruit, and tangerine. Traps were installed using two attractants, i.e., methyl eugenol (ME) and cue-lure (CUE), with a toxicant, while infested fruits were collected and maintained for host rearing. The fruit flies were recorded and identified using standard Tephritidae keys. A total of 78,453 individuals were collected, consisting of 13 species belonging to non-pests (7-12 species), actual pests (1-3 species), and conditional pests (1 species). The highest percentages of species observed were Bactrocera dorsalis (43%) and Bactrocera carambolae (34%), which were attracted to ME and categorized as pests on chili, guava, jackfruit, snake fruit, and tangerine, while as non-pests on other crops. The integrative approach enabled recording the actual species collected from the crop field. This finding shows that integrating para-pheromone trapping with host rearing provides a more reliable basis for evidence that fruit flies constitute a group of agricultural pests, which is crucial for developing pest management strategies in horticultural systems.

This study compared insect diversity in Allium cepa var. aggregatum G. Don, Solanum lycopersicum L., and Capsicum annuum L. agroecosystems Parhaboan District, North Tapanuli, and Juhar District, Karo, North Sumatra, Indonesia, aiming to assess species composition, abundance, and ecological roles. Using pitfall, yellow sticky, and blue ball traps, hand picking, and direct observation, we identified pest and beneficial insects. In A. cepa var. aggregatum fields, Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) and Liriomyza chinensis (Kato) were dominant pests, with L. chinensis populations peaking during specific crop growth stages, highlighting the impact of crop phenology and pesticide use. S. lycopersicum plantations showed moderate diversity, dominated by Bactrocera spp. and Formicidae, with blue ball traps capturing high densities of Bactrocera spp., suggesting strong visual attraction. C. annuum crops had abundant natural enemies, including Paratrechina longicornis (Latreille) and Scelio spp., alongside pests like S. litura and Aphis spp., demonstrating a complex ecological balance. Despite moderate diversity, high evenness of natural enemies indicated a stable predator community. Intercropping C. annuum with A. cepa var. aggregatum or S. lycopersicum revealed varied insect compositions. A critical imbalance between herbivores and natural enemies was observed across all agroecosystems, emphasizing the need for integrated pest management (IPM). This research highlights the importance of insect diversity for sustainable agriculture in North Sumatra, advocating for habitat diversification, biological control, and strategic pesticide use. Future studies should examine seasonal dynamics, crop-specific variations, and long-term agricultural impacts to refine IPM and promote biodiversity conservation.

Mango farmers in Indonesia rely heavily on pesticides to control a variety of pests and diseases, with tephritid fruit flies being a major pest of the crop. To reduce pesticide use, Area-Wide Integrated Pest Management (AW-IPM) to control fruit flies was trialed and introduced in 2015 and has now been successfully implemented in several districts in West Java, Indonesia. This study surveyed pesticide use in mango farms adopting AW-IPM and those practicing conventional pest control methods. Purposive and Snowball sampling methods were used to select and interview 83 mango farmers to assess farmers knowledge and practices of pesticide use between the two groups. The farmers surveyed consisted of those that have adopted AW-IPM of fruit flies and conventional farmers, meaning those that did not adopt AW-IPM. The results of the survey revealed that compared to conventional farmers, the AW-IPM farmers had a high level of knowledge of pesticides and most of them were aware of pesticide-related environmental risks and adopted better and safer practices. Overall, storage of pesticides within living areas was reported by 10% of respondents, and most respondents (75%) adopted unsafe practices when disposing of used pesticide containers, such as selling them to plastic waste collectors. Half of all the respondents reported and experienced at least one symptom of a pesticide-related health problems. This study contributes to a better understanding of potential pesticide exposure and risks to mango farmers in Indonesia. A pesticide management training program for the mango farming community is badly needed.

Fruit flies are an economic important of pest on horticultural crops. One of the commodities that are affected much due to fruit fly attack is salacca var. pondoh. The number of fruit flies attacking salacca increased from 2018 to 2021. The aims of the research was to study the population dynamics in salacca orchards in relation to climate factors and host plants. The research was conducted from July 2022 to May 2023 in salacca orchards that are members of the Salacca Farmers Association Mitra Turindo in Wonokerto, Turi, Sleman, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The methods were counting the number of fruit flies trapped in three observation groups with different levels of sanitation and host plants around salacca orchards. Descriptive and arithmetic methods were used to determine the pattern of population oscillation among the three observation groups and differences in sanitation levels and host plants around the salacca orchards. The result showed that population fluctuations of Bactrocera spp. in salacca orchards were correlated with rainfall and relative humidity and less correlated with temperature and wind speed. Fruit fly abundance was lower in salacca orchards with better sanitation and fewer host plants around the salacca orchard.

The melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae is serious pest attacks fruits and vegetables. The manipulation of male mating behavior that displays acoustic signals is one of the steps in the behavior-based control strategy of B. cucurbitae. The first study period determines the courtship song characteristics, frequency, and occurrence time. The recording was carried out when B. cucurbitae was mated using recording devices at 04.00–07.00 pm. The results show three sounds produced before copulation, namely, calling, courtship, and stimulating, with frequencies 274.30 ± 3.29 Hz, 284.65 ± 2.00 Hz, and 304.36 ± 1.82 Hz. B. cucurbitae courtship song began at 04.00–06.26 pm. The second study was performed to determine the effect of experimental acoustic playback stimulus on the selection of mating pairs by females. The acoustic playback stimulus is made synthetically by playback of two channels, namely, calling and courtship sounds, with frequencies of 274 and 284 Hz at a sound pressure level (SPL) of 85 dB. The experimental results of acoustic playback stimulus show that the sexual behavior of female B. cucurbitae was disrupted and marked by the decreased number of copulations during SPL is high, resulting in the overlapping calling and courtship sounds frequencies that impair signal detection.

Snake fruit (Salacca zalacca) is a unique fruit and it has decadent prospects to be developed as an export commodity. Nevertheless, oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis Hendel seems to decrease the quantity and quality of this fruit. On the other side, irradiation has been developed as a standard quarantine treatment to disinfest fruit fly on fruit. The objective of this research was to determine impact of irradiation by Cobalt-60 gamma-ray on the development and survivorship of eggs and the third instar of fruitfly larvae using in-vitro and in-vivo approaches and minimum dose of Cobalt-60 gamma rays applied for snake fruit. Six doses of gamma-ray, i.e. 0 (control), 25, 50, 75, 100, 125 and 150 Gy were used in this experiment. The results showed that Cobalt-60 disturbed development and survivor rate of B. dorsalis. The development of eggs into pupa was failed when treated with Cobalt-60 at any doses, while the third instar larvae failed to become adult when irradiated with 75, 100 and 150 Gy of gamma-ray. The impacts were increased with the increment of dose. Furthermore, impact of gamma-ray irradiation was greater on eggs compared to the third instar of larvae. The minimum dose of irradiation to prevent adults emerge was 118 Gy.