Reduced quality parameters in adult Queensland fruit fly (Bactrocera tryoni) after pupal irradiation and transportation

• Published in: Entomologia experimentalis et applicata 2021-07, Vol.169 (7), p.623-628
• Main Authors: Dominiak, Bernard C., Gillespie, Peter S., Sharma, Niharika, Balagawi, Solomon, Barchia, Idris M., Reynolds, Olivia L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bactrocera tryoni; Diptera; Flight; Fruit flies; Fruits; insect release; Insects; Irradiation; Mass production; Parameters; Pest control; pest management; Pupae; pupal irradiation; Qfly; quality parameters; Queensland fruit fly; Radiation; SIT; sterile insect technique; Sterilized organisms; Tephritidae; Transportation
• ISSN: 0013-8703; 1570-7458
• DOI: 10.1111/eea.13052

Sterile insect technique is an effective tool to manage a range of pest insects, including the true fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae). As part of the process, pupae are dispatched from a mass‐rearing facility for several hundred km to a rearing out centre typically located near the release sites. Transportation of Queensland fruit fly (Qfly), Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt), pupae from mass production facilities to field release sites is known to negatively affect fly quality. To determine which quality parameters are affected, we assessed adult emergence, flight ability, and rate of fliers between irradiated and non‐irradiated flies that were or were not transported long distance. Pupal weight was not affected by irradiation or transport. We found that transportation and irradiation of pupae resulted in a decrease in percentage fly emergence, flight ability, and fliers. Transportation and irradiation both resulted in 8% reduction in emergence of flies. Additionally, we found that transportation resulted in an increase in the rate of deformity by 65% and irradiation could increase deformity by 75%. Compounding these losses, both transportation and irradiation resulted in the decline of number of fliers by approximately 23% each. Sterile insect technique involves the release of irradiated male insects, rendering them infertile, resulting in non‐viable offspring. The insects are mass‐reared and then transported to distant release sites. Both irradiation and transport of Queensland fruit fly (Qfly) pupae, Bactrocera tryoni (Diptera: Tephritidae), resulted in a decrease of most quality parameters in adult flies. More research is required to understand what part of transport causes the damage, to improve this technique to combat economically important pests.