Authors: Ahmed, M. Y. Y.; Tilton, E. W.; Brower, J. H.

Source: Journal of Economic Entomology, Volume 69, Number 3, June 1976 , pp. 349-352(4)

Publisher: Entomological Society of America

Abstract:

When unmated 24-h-old males of Plodia interpunctella (Hübner) were irradiated with 25 or 35 krad and confined with normal females, 80.2 and 96.5% of the eggs, respectively, did not hatch compared with 11.4% infertility of the control eggs. Increasing the dose to 50 or 75 krad induced complete sterility in the irradiated (I) males. Untreated (U) females mated with I males (25 krad) produced only 8.1 adults/100 eggs.

When males treated with 25, 35 or 50 krad were confined with U males and U females (1:1:1 ratio), infertility of eggs was 41.2, 50.4, and 63.9, respectively. Thus, males treated with substerilizing doses (25 and 35 krad) competed favorably with U males, and males treated with the sterilizing dose (50 krad) were also fully competitive with U males, but 75 krad reduced ♂ competitiveness (30.8% egg infertility).

Males and females both treated with a sterilizing dose (50 krad) and confined with U males and U females at a I ♂:I ♀:U ♂:U ♀ ratio caused 67.85% infertility in the resulting eggs. When the ratio of sterile males and females was increased to 5:5:1:1, 10:10:1:1 or 15:15:1:1 (I ♂:I ♀:U ♂:U ♀), the percentage infertility reached 91.05, 97.65, and 99.75, respectively. The percentage of Actual infertility was less than the expected infertility for the ratios 1:1:1:1, 5:5:1:1, and 10:10:1:1, but it was exceeded with the highest ratio used (15:15:1:1). The competitiveness value for this flooding ratio was 1.00 (i.e., the sterile adults were fully competitive with the normal ones). These results indicated that irradiation with 50 krad, a sterilizing dose, did not decrease sexual competitiveness of adults. Also, the release of I males only or of I females together with I males could give good results in controlling a population of the Indian meal moth in an autocidal control program; and, therefore, separation of the sexes prior to release is probably unnecessary.

Document Type: Research article

Publication date: 1976-06-01

More about this publication?

• Journal of Economic Entomology is published bimonthly in February, April, June, August, October, and December. The journal publishes articles on the economic significance of insects and is divided into the following sections: apiculture & social insects; arthropods in relation to plant disease; forum; insecticide resistance and resistance management; ecotoxicology; biological and microbial control; ecology and behavior; sampling and biostatistics; household and structural insects; medical entomology; molecular entomology; veterinary entomology; forest entomology; horticultural entomology; field and forage crops, and small grains; stored-product; commodity treatment and quarantine entomology; and plant resistance. In addition to research papers, Journal of Economic Entomology publishes Letters to the Editor, interpretive articles in a Forum section, Short Communications, Rapid Communications, and Book Reviews.
• Editorial Board
• Submit a Paper
• Subscribe to this Title
• Information for Advertisers
• Visit this journal's homepage
• ingentaconnect is not responsible for the content or availability of external websites

Related content

• In this: publication
• By this: publisher
• In this Subject: Entomology
• By this author: Ahmed, M. Y. Y. ;  Tilton, E. W. ;  Brower, J. H.

Website © Publishing Technology. Article copyright remains with the publisher, society or author(s) as specified within the article.

• Terms and conditions
• Privacy policy
• Information for advertisers