African Journal of Agricultural Research Vol. 7(12), pp. 1880-1888, 26 March, 2012 Available online at http://www.academicjournals.org/AJAR DOI: 10.5897/AJAR11.1199 ISSN 1991-637X ©2012 Academic Journals Full Length Research Paper Development of integrated pest management techniques: Insect pest management on Safflower K.Saeidi 1 , N. A. Adam 1 *, D. Omar 1 and F. Abood 2 1 Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, University Putra Malaysia, 43400UPM, Serdang, Malaysia. 2 Faculty of Forestry, University Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia. Accepted 11 January, 2012 Acanthiophilus helianthi Rossi (Diptera: Tephritidae) is a pest of safflower and its management is of great challenge because of its fecundity and concealed larval habitat. Potential components of an integrated pest management program for A. helianthi were investigated at the Gachsaran Agricultural Research Station, in southern Iran from November, 2008 to July, 2009. For the life cycle studies, the infected flower heads were collected from an experimental field plot and were developed from egg to adult under laboratory conditions. The results showed that the first adults emerged gradually in mid April, 2009. Female A.helianthi had a pre-oviposition period of 5.8 ± 1.0 days and the average fecundity was 27 ± 3.2 eggs. The eggs were laid in the bracts of flower heads singly or in clusters of 3-18. The Incubation period was 3.8 ± 0.6 days under field conditions and 3.4 ± 0.6 days under cage conditions. Three larval instars occurred, and the larval phase was 7-10 days. Males emerged earlier than females, but the longevity of the adult females (12 ± 3.0) was significantly greater than that of males (8 ± 1.0). Analysis of aggregated male and female sampling data showed that the sex ratio was 1:1.28. To evaluate the efficiency of different methods of fruit fly control on Safflower, a field experiment was carried out. Five diverse methods, insecticides, baiting, cultural, integrated management and no treatment were assessed on weight of one thousand seeds, percentage of oil, percentage seed damage and harvest/ha. Integrated management and insecticide control indicated best results with harvest potential of 1850 and 1723 kg/ha with a least damage of 5 and 8%, respectively. Since the use of selective insecticides is one of the most important methods for pest management, we evaluated the efficacy of six insecticides against A. helianthi infesting safflower. Among the treatments Endosulfan 35% EC at 0.03% proved more effective followed by Chlorpyriphos and Monochrotophos. Key words: Efficacy, insecticides, Acanthiophilus helianthi, damage, safflower, integrated management. INTRODUCTION The safflower fly is one of the most important pests of safflower in Iran. Losses caused by larval feeding leads to disrupted plant activities, reduction in flower buds, and ultimately, to decreased quality and quantity of crop. Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) is an important oilseed crop and an essential component of cropping systems in the dry regions and marginal areas of the world (Sabzalian et al., 2008). Like other crops, safflower suffers from various diseases and insects (Weiss, 2000). The most serious safflower pest in Asia and Europe is the safflower fly Acanthiophilus helianthi Rossi (Tephritidae), *Corresponding author. E-mail: nur_azura@putra.upm.edu.my. and it is sometimes known as the shoot fly or capsule fly (Talpur et al., 1995; Zandigiacomo and Iob, 1991). In Asia, the safflower fly devastates most production areas in Iraq (Al-Ali et al., 1977), Pakistan (Talpur et al., 1995), and India (Vaishampayan and Kapoor, 1970; Verma et al., 1974). In Iran, seed-yield loss due to the safflower fly is estimated to be 30-70% for different safflower cultivars (Sabzalian et al., 2010). The safflower fly is a poly- phagous insect belonging to the Tephritidae family (Ashri, 1971). Adult flies lay eggs on the inner side of involucral bracts of safflower green heads (Narayanan, 1961; Ashri and Knowles, 1960). Heavy infestations of safflower fly occur during the reproductive phase of the plant, and the fly prefers to lay its eggs inside developing heads throughout the flowering stage (Talpur et al., 1995). Larvae