Author
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Leopold, Roger |
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Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only Publication Acceptance Date: 6/20/2007 Publication Date: 8/19/2007 Citation: Leopold, R.A. 2007. Insect Cold Storage Technology: Design and Practical Applications. Proceedings of International Congress of Insect Biotechnology and Industry. Entomological Research 37(Suppl. 1):A23. Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: Unlike agrochemicals, most insects used in research and/or pest control programs have a relatively short shelf-life. Many insects need to be maintained by continuous culture while others may have the inherent capacity to enter dormancy for varying periods of time. Utilization of cold temperature to store insects began over 70 years ago with the advent of mechanical refrigeration but only recently has the technology been developed for long-term cryogenic storage. The use of dormancy as a storage technique often requires environmental programming of the insects or exacting storage protocols while cryopreservation necessitates that insects be amenable to extreme physical and chemical manipulations. Also, these techniques usually involve precise determination and mass accumulation of a developmental life stage of the insects to gain success. To date, cryopreservation has only been successful with the embryonic stage for certain dipteran insects while dormancy initiation ranges from the egg to imago and is usually stage and species specific. Both techniques can have significant roles in providing economy and wide ranging utility for research and control programs of insects. This presentation discusses the potential uses of the current insect cold storage technology, the physiological considerations accompanying protocol development, and the importance of ensuring post storage fitness when developing a storage method. Keywords: cryopreservation, dormancy, storage |
