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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Hilo, Hawaii » Daniel K. Inouye U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center » Tropical Crop and Commodity Protection Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #203806
Title: Aromatherapy on a large scale: Exposing entire holding rooms to ginger root oil increases the mating competitiveness of sterile males of the Mediterranean fruit fly in field cage trials

Author
item SHELLY, TODD - USDA-APHIS
item EDU, JAMES - USDA-APHIS
item SMITH, E. - USDA-APHIS
item HOFFMAN, KEVIN - CDFA
item WAR, MAMADU - CDFA
item SANTOS, R. - CDFA
item FAVELA, A. - CDFA
item GARAGLIANO, R. - CDFA
item IBEWIRO, R. - CDFA
item McInnis, Donald

Submitted to: Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/1/2007
Publication Date: 5/1/2007
Citation: Shelly, T., Edu, J., Smith, E., Hoffman, K., War, M., Santos, R., Favela, A., Garagliano, R., Ibewiro, R., Mcinnis, D.O. 2007. Aromatherapy on a large scale: Exposing entire holding rooms to ginger root oil increases the mating competitiveness of sterile males of the Mediterranean fruit fly in field cage trials. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata. 123:193-201.

Interpretive Summary: The sterile insect technique (SIT) is widely used in integrated programs against fruit fly pests, particularly the Mediterranean fruit fly. Unfortunately, the mass-rearing procedures inherent to the SIT often lead to a reduction in male mating competitiveness. One potential solution involves the prerelease exposure of males to specific attractants. On e of these that has shown much promise is ginger root oil that can stimulate medfly males, both sterilized and normal. Previous studies have shown an effect in the laboratory and at in mating tests conducted in field cages, but the exposure levels have been at small to medium scales. In this study, we examined the effect of ginger root oil exposure at a high, program level, involving the use of containers holding up to 14 million sterile males prior to release in California’s ongoing sterile medlfy release program. Once again, there was a significant effect of ginger root oil exposure, resulting in an increase of matings from exposed males of 42% over unexposed males in field cage tests.

Technical Abstract: The sterile insect technique (SIT) is widely used in integrated programs against fruit fly pests, particularly the Mediterranean fruit fly. Unfortunately, the mass-rearing procedures inherent to the SIT often lead to a reduction in male mating competitiveness. The sterile insect technique (SIT) is widely used in integrated programs against fruit fly pests, particularly the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata Wiedemann (Diptera: Tephritidae). Unfortunately, the mass-rearing procedures inherent to the SIT often lead to a reduction in male mating competitiveness. One potential solution involves the prerelease exposure of males to specific attractants. In particular, male exposure to ginger root oil [Zingiber officinale Roscoe (Zingiberaceae); hereafter GRO] has been shown to increase mating success dramatically in field cage trials. Initial studies exposed small groups of males (25 individuals), but more recent work has demonstrated that GRO exposure involving standard storage boxes (containing ' 36,000 males) also results in enhanced mating performance. The objective of the present study was to determine whether aromatization of entire trailers, holding ' 14 million sterile males from a genetic sexing (temperature sensitive lethal, [tsl]) strain, increases male mating success. Independent of the total dose, spatial distribution, or type of dispenser used, sterile males exposed to GRO for a 24 h period displayed greater mating success than non-exposed males in mating cage trials (in which tsl males competed against males from a standard, bisexual strain for females from this same standard strain). Averaged over all experiments, tsl males exposed to GRO obtained 54% of all matings compared to 38% for non-exposed tsl males, an increase of 42%. The implications of these findings for SIT programs against C. capitata are discussed.