Effectiveness of Mixing Natural Attractants for Trapping Fruit Flies in Snake Fruits Plantations

Abstract

Snake fruit (Salacca zalacca) is an important Indonesian fruit commodity, yet its productivity has been declining due to infestations of fruit flies. This study evaluated the effectiveness of natural attractants, including methyl eugenol–containing fragrant leaf essential oil and fermented fruit juices, either applied singly or in combination, in trapping fruit flies. The experiment was conducted in Girikerto Village, Sleman, from March to May 2024 using a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with eight treatments: fragrant leaf essential oil (2 mL), fermented snake fruit juice (2 mL), fermented pineapple juice (2 mL), fermented mango juice (2 mL), mixtures of 1 mL essential oil with 1 mL of each fermented fruit juice, and control. Data were analyzed using ANOVA followed by LSD test at 5%. Results showed that the combination of fragrant leaf essential oil and fermented mango juice (1 mL + 1 mL) was effective in trapping Bactrocera spp., and its performance was not significantly different from 2 mL essential oil. Three species of fruit flies were identified: Bactrocera papayae, B. carambolae, and B. umbrosa. These findings highlight the potential of combining natural attractants for sustainable fruit fly management in snake fruit plantations.