Sterile insect technique (SIT) is an environmentally benign pest management technique that relies on released sterile males mating with, and curtailing reproduction of, wild females. Juvenile hormone analogue methoprene (M+) incorporated into pre-release diet (Y+ sucrose plus yeast, Y- sucrose only) was studied as a potential enhancer of reproductive organ development, sexual maturation, and longevity of Queensland fruit fly (Bactrocera tryoni Froggatt, or ‘Q-fly’) used for SIT. Incorporation of methoprene into diets that also contain yeast was found to strongly accelerate reproductive organ development (testes and apodeme) in males, but had much weaker effects on females (ovaries). Age, dietary yeast and methoprene application all increased
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Australia has ca. 85 fruit fly species (Drew, 1989), and 16 of these have been reported to infest commercially grown fruit. In the years of 2003 ‐ 2008, estimated expenditure for fruit fly activities (yield losses as well as management costs) was around $128 million in Australia. National and international market access for horticultural commodities has been seriously threatened by fruit flies (Plant Health Australia, 2008). As a result, economic harm comes not only from reduced production and increased control costs, but also from loss of markets and the cost of establishing and maintaining phytosanitary measures.
The Queensland fruit fly (Bactrocera tryoni Froggatt or ‘Q-fly’) is the most difficult and costly challenge to market access for most Australian fruit producers. It is the most devastating fruit fly in eastern Australia (Dominiak and Daniels, 2012), and infests more than 100 native and introduced hosts (Hancock, 2000; Oliver, 2007). Tropical and subtropical coastal Queensland and northern New South Wales are considered as its native distribution (Gilchrist et al., 2006), but it is now more widely distributed in south-eastern Australia and has invaded some South Pacific island nations (Drew et al., …show more content…
Methoprene is usually dissolved in acetone and applied to adults topically or pupae by dipping or bathing in acetone solution However, significant health hazards has been associated with acetone as it is very volatile and flammable. In the context of SIT, topical application to adults and dipping of pupa are impractical due to health risks, safety and disposal issues related to the use of acetone (Pereira et al., 2013; Segura et al., 2013). As an alternative approach, (Pereira et al., 2013; Teal et al., 2013) provided A. ludens and A. suspensa an agar-based diet containing 5–10% YH along with 0.05% methoprene, but this produced large amounts of waste, became sticky, and was not cost effective. Gomez et al., (2013) also used methoprene combined with food, but in this case as a dry mix with sugar and YH, and this was very effective for A. ludens in the laboratory, in field cages, and in the field. The only previous study of methoprene application in Q-fly used a standard approach of application to pupae and adults in an acetone solution, which resulted in significant mortality and diminished quality (Collins et al., 2014). Accordingly, in the present study we investigate effects of methoprene application coupled with a dry sugar
Australia has ca. 85 fruit fly species (Drew, 1989), and 16 of these have been reported to infest commercially grown fruit. In the years of 2003 ‐ 2008, estimated expenditure for fruit fly activities (yield losses as well as management costs) was around $128 million in Australia. National and international market access for horticultural commodities has been seriously threatened by fruit flies (Plant Health Australia, 2008). As a result, economic harm comes not only from reduced production and increased control costs, but also from loss of markets and the cost of establishing and maintaining phytosanitary measures.
The Queensland fruit fly (Bactrocera tryoni Froggatt or ‘Q-fly’) is the most difficult and costly challenge to market access for most Australian fruit producers. It is the most devastating fruit fly in eastern Australia (Dominiak and Daniels, 2012), and infests more than 100 native and introduced hosts (Hancock, 2000; Oliver, 2007). Tropical and subtropical coastal Queensland and northern New South Wales are considered as its native distribution (Gilchrist et al., 2006), but it is now more widely distributed in south-eastern Australia and has invaded some South Pacific island nations (Drew et al., …show more content…
Methoprene is usually dissolved in acetone and applied to adults topically or pupae by dipping or bathing in acetone solution However, significant health hazards has been associated with acetone as it is very volatile and flammable. In the context of SIT, topical application to adults and dipping of pupa are impractical due to health risks, safety and disposal issues related to the use of acetone (Pereira et al., 2013; Segura et al., 2013). As an alternative approach, (Pereira et al., 2013; Teal et al., 2013) provided A. ludens and A. suspensa an agar-based diet containing 5–10% YH along with 0.05% methoprene, but this produced large amounts of waste, became sticky, and was not cost effective. Gomez et al., (2013) also used methoprene combined with food, but in this case as a dry mix with sugar and YH, and this was very effective for A. ludens in the laboratory, in field cages, and in the field. The only previous study of methoprene application in Q-fly used a standard approach of application to pupae and adults in an acetone solution, which resulted in significant mortality and diminished quality (Collins et al., 2014). Accordingly, in the present study we investigate effects of methoprene application coupled with a dry sugar