Semiochemical mediated enhancement of males to complement sterile insect technique in management of the tephritid pest Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt)

Authors: KAHN, MOHAMMED - NSW DEPARTMENT OF PRIMARY INDUSTRIES; Manoukis, Nicholas; OSBORNE, TERRANCE - NSW DEPARTMENT OF PRIMARY INDUSTRIES; BARCHIA, IDRIS - NSW DEPARTMENT OF PRIMARY INDUSTRIES; GURR, GEOFF - CHARLES STURT UNIVERSITY; REYNOLDS, OLIVIA - NSW DEPARTMENT OF PRIMARY INDUSTRIES

Submitted to: Scientific Reports
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/2/2017
Publication Date: 10/17/2017
Citation: Kahn, M., Manoukis, N., Osborne, T., Barchia, I., Gurr, G., Reynolds, O. 2017. Semiochemical mediated enhancement of males to complement sterile insect technique in management of the tephritid pest Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt). Scientific Reports. 7:13366.

Interpretive Summary: This study reports on results of field and cage trials indicating that male Queensland Fruit Flies fed on Raspberry Keytone, an attractant for males of this species, exhibit increased survival and decreased attraction to cuelure, another lure used for males. These findings facilitate the combination of sterile insect technique and male replacement, potentially improving control of this pest species.

Technical Abstract: Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt), is the most significant pest of Australia’s $9 billion horticulture industry. The sterile insect technique (SIT) and male annihilation technique (MAT) based on traps baited with a synthetic analogue of raspberry ketone (RK) are two of the most effective management tools against this pest. However, combining these two approaches is considered incompatible as MAT kills SIT and ‘wild’ males indiscriminately. In the present study we tested the effect of pre-release feeding with RK, on survival of sterile male B.tryoni and their response to simulated MAT in field cages and in a commercial orchard. The survival of B.tryoni in field cages and under orchard conditions was higher for RK supplemented adults compared to RK denied adults. A lower number of RK supplemented sterile males were recaptured in cue-lure baited traps in both the field cages and orchard trials compared to control sterile males. The advantage of this “male replacement” approach (mortality of wild males at lure-baited traps while simultaneously releasing sterile males) lies in the significant increase of sterile to wild male ratio, and the possibility of reducing the required number of sterile males to be released.