| Autor: |
Cristofaro M; Biotechnology and Biological Control Agency (BBCA) Onlus, Via Angelo Signorelli 105, 00123 Rome, Italy.; Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 Rome, Italy., Sforza RFH; European Biological Control Laboratory, United States Department of Agriculture, (EBCL USDA-ARS), 810 Avenue du Campus Agropolis, 34980 Montferrier-sur-Lez, France., Roselli G; Biotechnology and Biological Control Agency (BBCA) Onlus, Via Angelo Signorelli 105, 00123 Rome, Italy.; Technology Transfer Center, Fondazione Edmund Mach, 38010 San Michele all'Adige, Italy., Paolini A; Biotechnology and Biological Control Agency (BBCA) Onlus, Via Angelo Signorelli 105, 00123 Rome, Italy., Cemmi A; Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 Rome, Italy., Musmeci S; Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 Rome, Italy., Anfora G; Research and Innovation Center, Fondazione Edmund Mach, 38010 San Michele all'Adige, Italy.; Center of Agriculture, Food and Environment (C3A), University of Trento, 38010 San Michele all'Adige, Italy., Mazzoni V; Research and Innovation Center, Fondazione Edmund Mach, 38010 San Michele all'Adige, Italy., Grodowitz M; European Biological Control Laboratory, United States Department of Agriculture, (EBCL USDA-ARS), 810 Avenue du Campus Agropolis, 34980 Montferrier-sur-Lez, France. |
| Abstrakt: |
The bagrada bug, Bagrada hilaris, is an invasive insect pest in the family Brassicaceae that causes economically important damage to crops. It was originally present in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, and was reported as invasive in the southwestern part of the US, in Chile, and on a few islands in the Mediterranean Basin. In its native range, B. hilaris is controlled by several egg parasitoid species that are under consideration as potential biological control agents. This research evaluated the impact of gamma irradiation on life history parameters, e.g., the fecundity, fertility, and longevity of B. hilaris, as a critical step towards assessing the feasibility of using the sterile insect technique against this recent invasive pest. Newly emerged adults of a laboratory colony originally collected from the island of Pantelleria (Italy) were gamma-irradiated. Life history parameters were evaluated at nine different doses, ranging from 16 Gy to 140 Gy. The minimal dose to approach full sterility was 100 Gy. Irradiation up to a maximum of 140 Gy apparently did not negatively impact the longevity of the adults. Even if both genders are sensitive to irradiation, the decline in fecundity for irradiated females could be exploited to release irradiated males safely to apply the SIT in combination with classical biological control. The data presented here allow us to consider, for the first time, the irradiation of bagrada adults as a suitable and feasible technique that could contribute to guaranteeing a safe approach to control this important pest species in agro-ecosystems. More research is warranted on the competitive fitness of irradiated males to better understand mating behavior as well as elucidate the possible mechanisms of sperm selection by polyandric B. hilaris females. |
