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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 #208862
Title: Chemical Stimulants and Genetic Sexing Boost the SIT: Evidence from Ceratitis capitata and Bactrocera Dorsalis in Hawaii

Author
item McInnis, Donald
item SHELLY, TODD - USDA-APHIS

Submitted to: Fruit Flies of Economic Importance International Symposium
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/15/2006
Publication Date: 9/30/2006
Citation: Mcinnis, D.O., Shelly, T. 2006. Chemical Stimulants and Genetic Sexing Boost the SIT: Evidence from Ceratitis capitata and Bactrocera Dorsalis in Hawaii. In Proceedings of the IAEA CRM on Adult Supplements to Improve the SIT in Fruit Flies, Salvaldor, Bahia, Brazil, September 5-8, 2006.

Interpretive Summary: Two ways have been developed to significantly improve the effectiveness of the sterile insect techniques against tephritid fruit flies in recent years. Beginning with the development of genetic sexing techniques some 25 years ago, all male strains of several species of fruit flies have greatly improved the SIT. More recently, chemical supplements such as ginger root oil for Ceratitis capitata (medfly) males and methyl eugenol for Bactrocera dorsalis males have further increased the field efficiency of released mass-reared sterile males at very limited cost.

Technical Abstract: Genetic and chemical means have been developed to significantly improve the effectiveness of the sterile insect technique against tephritid fruit flies in recent years. Beginning with the development of genetic sexing techniques some 25 years ago, all-male strains of several species of fruit flies have greatly improved the SIT. More recently, chemical supplements such as ginger root oil for Ceratitis capitata (medfly) males and methyl eugenol for Bactrocera dorsalis males, have further increased the field efficiency of released mass-reared sterile males at very limited cost. Mating tests have increased in scale from laboratory mating tests to outdoor field cages, both small and large, and finally, to open field releases of genetically sexed, sterile males. Wild OFF populations have been monitored in open field tests, and host fruits collected to monitor egg sterility in treated and controlled areas. Also, a sperm ID technique to determine the source of a mating (wild, sterile, or both) developed for medflies initially, has been extended to the OFF and applied to an open field experiment recently conducted on the island of Oahu. In this paper, we review the evidence in favor of using both sexing strains (eg. melon fly) and chemotherapy (eg. oriental fruit fly) to boost the effectiveness of the SIT for relevant fruit fly species. Each of those treatments can significantly increase sterile male competitiveness and together they can have a cumulative effect of increasing the cost-effectiveness of the method.