Effect of Different Types of Iraqi Soils and Burial Depths of the Larvae and Pupae on the Adult Emergence Rate of the Mediterranean Fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), Under Laboratory Conditions.

This experiment was conducted to study the effect of soil type (structure) and different dumping depths of larvae and pupae within the soil on the emergence rate of adults of the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata, which is considered a major pest affecting citrus and stone fruits orchards. Three soil types were selected: sandy clay, clay loam and loam and for each type six dumping depths were tested (3, 5, 7, 10, 15 and 20 cm).The results showed that the soil type had a significant effect on the adults emergence rate, and the highest rate was recorded for the sandy clay soil, when using the last larval instars (pre-pupae) and pupal stages, and reached 55.28 and 51.66%, respectively. The results also showed that the soil type and dumping depth together have a significant effect on the adults' emergence rate of the Mediterranean fruit fly. The sandy clay soil and the two depths, 5 and 7 cm, gave the highest emergence rate which was 73.3 and 71.67%, respectively, when using the last larval instar. Whereas, the clay loam soil gave at 3 and 5 cm soil depths a 70% emergence rate for both dumping levels. The results also showed that the two soil types sandy clay and loam showed that the emergence of adults continued even at 20 cm depth. The results obtained in this research can be incorporated to the practices used for the integrated management of the Mediterranean fruit fly C. capitata. Keywords: Mediterranean fruit fly, soil type, soil depth, adults' emergence rate.