Irradiation Method Reduces Mediterranean Fruit Fly Damages in Citrus Orchards of Iran
Mehrdad Ahmadi, one of the researchers of the project, called the method as SIT or insect control (sterile male) method, saying, “In this method, the eggs of Mediterranean fruit fly are first grown en masse in the workshop, and artificial food ration is fed to them. When the eggs reach the stage of larva and pupa, they are subjected to gamma radiation.”
“In gamma irradiation, a special dose is chosen that makes the sperm of the male insect infertile,” he said, adding that the appearance, strength, mating, flight and genes of this insect remain intact during irradiation.
“When these sterilized insects mate with healthy insects in citrus orchards, they either cannot lay eggs, or if they lay eggs, they will not hatch and their population is controlled,” Ahmadi noted.
The Mediterranean fruit fly is one of the world's most destructive fruit pests. The species originated in sub-Saharan Africa.
Due to its wide distribution over the world, its ability to tolerate cooler climates better than most other species of tropical fruit flies, and its wide range of hosts, it is ranked first among economically important fruit fly species. Its larva feed and develop on many deciduous, subtropical, and tropical fruits and some vegetables.
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