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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Tifton, Georgia » Crop Protection and Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #193831
Title: QUEST FOR PHYSIOLOGICAL AND CYTOLOGICAL ATTRIBUTES THAT CAN BE USED TO IDENTIFY F1 PROGENY OF IRRADIATED MALES: RELEVANCE TO CODLING MOTH SIT

Author
item Carpenter, James
item Marti, Orville

Submitted to: IAEA-FAO Research Coordination Meeting for CRP
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/8/2006
Publication Date: 5/31/2006
Citation: Carpenter, J.E., Marti, O.G. 2006. Quest for physiological and cytological attributes that can be used to identify F1 progeny of irradiated males: Relevance to codling moth SIT. In: Proceedings of the Third Research Co-ordination Meeting, FAO/IAEA Coordinated Research Program, "Improvement of Codling Moth SIT to Facilitate Expansion of Field Application", September 16-20, 2005, Mendosa, Argentina. IAEA-314-D4-RC.876, Vienna, Austria. p. 125-127.

Interpretive Summary: The unique genetic phenomena responsible for inherited sterility in Lepidoptera and some other arthropods also provide advantages for the use of inherited sterility instead of full sterility in an SIT program. Lepidopteran females generally can be completely sterilized at a dose of radiation that only partially sterilizes the male of the same species. When these partially sterile males mate with fertile females, the radiation-induced deleterious effects are inherited by the F1 generation. At the appropriate dose of radiation, egg hatch is reduced and the resulting (F1) offspring are both highly sterile and predominantly male. Lower doses of radiation used to induce F1 sterility increase the quality and competitiveness of the released insects. Therefore, during an SIT program it is possible that traps used to monitor moth populations and over-flooding ratios may capture unmarked F1 sterile males that cannot be distinguished from wild fertile males. One of the major concerns in the use of inherited sterility is the erroneous perception that the production of sterile F1 larvae will cause economic damage to crops, especially in high-value crops such as fruit. As a result, low doses of radiation that would otherwise result in more competitive insects may be avoided. Another complexity in the use of inherited sterility is the difficulty in accurately estimating the wild population and the over-flooding ratio using traps because both wild males and sterile F1 males are unmarked. We are evaluating several morphological and physiological attributes that may be used to distinguish F1 progeny of irradiated males from wild males captured in traps. Preliminary data suggest that F1 males (sterile) from irradiated fathers can be distinguished from fertile males by the nuclei cluster in the eupyrene sperm bundles.

Technical Abstract: The unique genetic phenomena responsible for inherited sterility in Lepidoptera and some other arthropods also provide advantages for the use of inherited sterility instead of full sterility in an SIT program. Lepidopteran females generally can be completely sterilized at a dose of radiation that only partially sterilizes the male of the same species. When these partially sterile males mate with fertile females, the radiation-induced deleterious effects are inherited by the F1 generation. At the appropriate dose of radiation, egg hatch is reduced and the resulting (F1) offspring are both highly sterile and predominantly male. Lower doses of radiation used to induce F1 sterility increase the quality and competitiveness of the released insects. Therefore, during an SIT program it is possible that traps used to monitor moth populations and over-flooding ratios may capture unmarked F1 sterile males that cannot be distinguished from wild fertile males. One of the major concerns in the use of inherited sterility is the erroneous perception that the production of sterile F1 larvae will cause economic damage to crops, especially in high-value crops such as fruit. As a result, low doses of radiation that would otherwise result in more competitive insects may be avoided. Another complexity in the use of inherited sterility is the difficulty in accurately estimating the wild population and the over-flooding ratio using traps because both wild males and sterile F1 males are unmarked. We are evaluating several morphological and physiological attributes that may be used to distinguish F1 progeny of irradiated males from wild males captured in traps. Preliminary data suggest that F1 males (sterile) from irradiated fathers can be distinguished from fertile males by the nuclei cluster in the eupyrene sperm bundles.