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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 #208300
Title: Development and Field Release of a Genetic Sexing Strain of the Melon Fly, Bactrocera Cucurbitae in Hawaii

Author
item McInnis, Donald
item LEBLANC, LUC - UNIV OF HAWAII-MANOA
item MAU, RON - UNIV OF HAWAII-MANOA

Submitted to: Hawaiian Entomological Society Proceedings
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/1/2006
Publication Date: 7/1/2007
Citation: Mcinnis, D.O., Leblanc, L., Mau, R. 2007. Development and Field Release of a Genetic Sexing Strain of the Melon Fly, Bactrocera Cucurbitae in Hawaii. Hawaiian Entomological Society Proceedings. 39:50-58.

Interpretive Summary: Significant improvements to the control of the melon fly pest were achieved with the development and subsequent release of sterile males from the first genetic sexing strain of the melon fly. The males can be separated from females in the pupal stage and released as an all male sterile population. Field tests were conducted on 3 separate islands in the Hawaiian chain in increasingly larger test areas and numbers of sterile males released. Results indicated that the sterile males had a significant impact, causing the wild population to decline significantly by inducing high egg sterility into the population. This was achieved with a relatively low sterile wild fly ratio compared to other strains with other species of fruit flies, indicating that the sterile strain was very competitive in the field.

Technical Abstract: The first practical genetic sexing strain for the melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae, developed in Hawaii was mass-reared and released as sterile males into wild fly populations. Significant improvements in the field quality of sterile males were made with the pupal color strain in which males can be separated from females on the basis of pupal coloration using photoelectric sorting machines. Earlier, quality control tests indicated that the strain mass-rears adequately, and is very competitive with wild flies based on field cage studies of mating ability and survival. Open field studies were conducted between 2002-2004 on 3 Hawaiian islands in increasingly larger test areas, and with increasing numbers of sterile males released (up to 1,500,000/wk). Results indicated that the sexing strain significantly impacted the wild population, causing high, induced sterility up to ca. 75% in both residential and commercial vegetable growing areas of Hawaii. The field tests have shown that the sexing strain is worthy of mass production and release in large-scale melon fly SIT programs.