摘要
The Sterile Insect Technique(SIT)is an effective strategy for controlling insect pests,such as the Mediterranean fruit fly(Ceratitis capitata,Wiedemann).The effectiveness of the SIT depends on the ability of the sterile males to mate and their capacity to induce sterility in wild females.This study evaluated how the irradiation age affects their sexual performance,measured by the outcome of female remating events.Males of the GSS VIENNA 8D53−were irradiated at eleven different ages,from 72 h before emergence(pupal stage)to 72 h after emergence(adult stage)and mated with wild females.These females were subsequently allowed to mate with fertile males from the fluorescent TSS VIENNA 81260.The presence of fluorescent offspring was used as indicator of secondmale paternity.Results showed that males irradiated at post-emergence ages produced the lowest egg-to-pupae conversion rate,indicating a greater ability to prevent females from producing offspring after remating with a fertile male.In contrast,males irradiated at preemergence ages were associated with higher numbers of fluorescent offspring.Although no significant differences were found in mating competitiveness(RSI),the outcome of the remating showed differences in the effectiveness of initial matings.These findings highlight the importance of considering the age of flies at time of irradiation in mass-rearing protocols to enhance the efficacy of SIT programs targeting C.capitata and suggest that irradiating males later in their life cycle,such as adult stages or in pupae close to adult emergence,limit offspring if females remate with fertile males in the field.
基金
supported by the International Atomic Energy research contact no.23396 as part of the Coordinated Research Project“Generic approach for the development of genetic sexing strains for SIT applications.”Publication costs for this study were provided by the International Atomic Energy Agency as part of the Coordinated Research Project“Generic approach for the development of genetic sexing strains for SIT applications”。
