Abstract
Fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) pose a severe threat to cucurbit crops worldwide, with potential losses ranging from 30% to 100%. This study evaluated the effectiveness of agroecological and conventional crop protection practices, compared to untreated controls, in managing fruit fly infestations across different cropping periods in Morogoro, East-Central Tanzania. The study was conducted from March 2021 to September 2022. Field experiments employed a Randomised Complete Block Design with five replications testing three practices: agroecological crop protection, conventional pest management using synthetic pesticides, and untreated control. Each 45 × 45 m plot contained watermelon, squash, and cucumber. Data on fruit blemishes, infestation rates, and yield (kg/ha) were analysed using R software. The percentage of blemished fruits and infestation rates by Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Coquillet), Dacus ciliatus Loew, and Dacus vertebratus Bezzi were significantly affected by the interaction of management practices, cropping period, and crop species, with the lowest infestation rates in conventional plots, followed by agroecological plots. Yield was significantly influenced by the interaction of cropping period, crops, and management practice. Untreated control plots produced significantly less yield than those under agroecological and conventional management. Agroecological practices effectively reduced fruit fly populations and blemished fruits, enhancing yield over consecutive cropping periods. These practices are comparable to conventional methods in mitigating fruit fly infestations in cucurbit crops.