Bio-écologie et dynamique des populations de cécidomyie des fleurs (Procontarinia mangiferae), un ravageur inféodé au manguier (Mangifera indica), en vue de développer une lutte intégrée

摘要

Phytophagous insects and plants are linked by complex relationships. Insect-plant interaction researches involve several biological disciplines at different levels of analysis. These insect–plant relationships are of crucial importance from an applied point of view, notably for agriculture. In this work, an interdisciplinary approach has been used to study on the mango blossom gall midge, Procontarinia mangiferae (Felt) (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), an invasive insect pest specific to mango causing major economic damages worldwide. The objective was to improve our knowledge of the biology of this species in the subtropical Reunion Island (i) by describing its genetic diversity and investigate the ecological and biological determinants of the genetic structure of its populations, (ii) by carrying out field and controlled experiments to understand the diapause strategies involved in maintaining populations from one flowering season to the next one, (iii) by modeling the arrival and dispersion of females within an orchard in relation with their flight capacity and with the spatial and temporal distribution of the mango susceptible resources. The results showed that the single species P. mangiferae, feeding on both inflorescences and young leaves, was present all year round and in all the sampled sites on the island, regardless of the climatic and cultural conditions. Populations in Reunion Island appeared structured into two clusters in sympatry, one cluster being more frequent in the cultivated mango area. Secondly, we demonstrated the occurrence of facultative diapause all year round, with the highest rate of diapause observed in summer. The diapause allowed a developmental arrest at the 3rd larval instar in the soil, lasting between six weeks to more than one year. The decrease of temperature at the beginning of winter triggered off the emergence of diapausing individuals and synchronized adult emergence with the mango flowering period. Thirdly, non-native female gall midges were able to colonize all the trees of an orchard. Their arrival flight and trivial flight were oriented by the abundance and by the attractiveness of the mango resources, respectively. The knowledge obtained on the biological cycle of P. mangiferae and on its relationships with the mango tree should be useful to develop new agroecological pest management strategies.