Skip to main content
ARS Home » Plains Area » Fargo, North Dakota » Edward T. Schafer Agricultural Research Center » Insect Genetics and Biochemistry Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #142393
Title: LONG-TERM COLD STORAGE OF MEDFLY EMBRYOS

Author
item Leopold, Roger
item WANG, WENBO - VIA CELL, WORCESTER, MA
item RAJAMOHAN, ARUN - NORTH DAKOTA STATE UNIV
item SHELLY, T - APHIS, WAIMANALO, HI
item PEABODY, N - APHIS, WAIMANALO, HI
item FISHER, K - APHIS, WAIMANALO, HI
item MCCOMBS, S - APHIS, WAIMANALO, HI

Submitted to: International Symposium on Fruit Flies of Economic Importance
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/15/2002
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The ability to accumulate and store mass-reared fruit flies used in SITprograms would provide insectary managers with certain benefits that have not been available. These benefits include countering genetic drift, preserving rare or numerous genotypes for development of new strains, and providing a reserve supply of insects during periods of low plant production caused by equipment breakdown, remodeling, work stoppage or insect disease. We have developed a cryopreservation protocol that allows cold storage in liquid nitrogen (-196 deg. C) of the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata, during the embryonic stage. Hatching of embryos recovered from liquid nitrogen storage has reached >65% of control hatching and adult emergence is >50%. Of primary importance to successfully using our protocol, is the complete permeabilization of the embryos, selection of the correct stage of development for treatment, and the rapid cooling prior to storage in liquid nitrogen and likewise rapid warming upon recovery. Examination of the quality of the progeny of the flies that had been cryopreserved as embryos showed that the longevity, flight, mating competitiveness, and oviposition did not differ from control flies from the same mass-reared strain. In addition, we (RAL, WBW & AR) recently have had success with the development of long-term cold storage methods for Anastrepha ludens and A. suspensa indicating that the embryo cryopreservation technique could be used as an aid to mass-rearing of other tephritid flies.