Developmental inhibition of Drosophila suzukii by ionizing radiation

Abstract

Spotted wing drosophila (SWD) has emerged as a major invasive insect pest of small berry fruits in the Americas and Europe since the late 2000s. Thus, phytosanitary treatment of commodities for export is imperative to prevent the movement of viable SWD to newer areas. In the present study, all developmental stages of SWD were irradiated with different doses of gamma and electron beam radiation to assess developmental inhibition to identify potential quarantine doses of the radiations. Ionizing radiation induced developmental inhibition of all stages of SWD. The effective doses for 99% inhibition (ED99) of hatching, pupariation, and adult emergence from irradiated eggs for gamma radiation were 882, 395 and 39 Gy, respectively, compared with 2849, 687, and 41 Gy, respectively, for electron beam radiation. The ED99 for inhibition of pupariation and adult emergence in irradiated larvae were 703 and 47 Gy, respectively, for gamma radiation, and 619 and 33 Gy, respectively, for electron beam radiation. Pupal irradiation did not completely inhibit adult emergence, even at 300 Gy. However, irradiation with ≥100 Gy of puparia induced adult sterility, with no egg production at all. The ED99 for inhibition of F1 egg hatchability from adults irradiated with gamma radiation and electron beam radiation was estimated to be 424 and 125 Gy, respectively. The results of the present study suggest that gamma radiation and electron beam radiation are alternatives for phytosanitary treatment. Irradiation with 100 Gy could be suggested as a potential dose for egg, larval, and pupal quarantine treatment of SWD.

Cultural Control of Drosophila suzukii in Small Fruit—Current and Pending Tactics in the U.S.

“…In other experiments, adult emergence was not completely inhibited, even at higher doses, but all surviving adults were sterile following exposure to 100 Gy [ 113 ]. Radiation sources also differed in their efficiency against D. suzukii with electron beam radiation resulting in higher pupariation compared with gamma irradiation, although both methods provide potentially acceptable quarantine level control [ 114 ].…”