The Effect of the Sterile Insect Technique on Vibrational Communication: The Case of <i>Bagrada hilaris</i> (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae)
The painted bug, <i>Bagrada hilaris</i>, is an agricultural pest in its original areas (Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East), and it has recently been recorded as an invasive species in southwestern part of the US, Chile, Mexico, and two islands in the Mediterranean basin. Its polyph...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-04-01
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| Series: | Insects |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/14/4/353 |
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| author | Chiara Peccerillo Chiara Elvira Mainardi Rachele Nieri Jalal Melhem Fouani Alessia Cemmi Massimo Cristofaro Gianfranco Anfora Valerio Mazzoni |
| author_facet | Chiara Peccerillo Chiara Elvira Mainardi Rachele Nieri Jalal Melhem Fouani Alessia Cemmi Massimo Cristofaro Gianfranco Anfora Valerio Mazzoni |
| author_sort | Chiara Peccerillo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The painted bug, <i>Bagrada hilaris</i>, is an agricultural pest in its original areas (Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East), and it has recently been recorded as an invasive species in southwestern part of the US, Chile, Mexico, and two islands in the Mediterranean basin. Its polyphagous diet causes severe damage to economically important crops. The control of this pest is primarily achieved by means of synthetic pesticides, which are often expensive, ineffective, and harmful to the ecosystem. Recent physiological bioassays to assess its potential control through the sterile insect technique demonstrated that mating between untreated females and males irradiated at doses of 64 and 100 Gy, respectively, resulted in 90% and 100% sterility of the eggs produced by the females. In this study, the mating abilities of virgin males irradiated at 60 and 100 Gy with virgin females were measured through a study of short-range courtship mediated by vibrational communication. The results indicate that males irradiated at 100 Gy emit signals with lower peak frequencies, mate significantly less than unirradiated males do, and do not surpass the early stages of courtship. Conversely, males irradiated at 60 Gy present vibrational signal frequencies that are comparable to those of the control and successfully mated males. Our findings suggest that <i>B. hilaris</i> individuals irradiated at 60 Gy are good candidates for the control of this species, given that they retain sexual competitiveness regardless of their sterility, through an area-wide program that incorporates the sterile insect technique. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T04:54:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9a3db0cd04f242dabc8958666eb90d30 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-4450 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T04:54:12Z |
| publishDate | 2023-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Insects |
| spelling | doaj.art-9a3db0cd04f242dabc8958666eb90d302023-11-17T19:46:21ZengMDPI AGInsects2075-44502023-04-0114435310.3390/insects14040353The Effect of the Sterile Insect Technique on Vibrational Communication: The Case of <i>Bagrada hilaris</i> (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae)Chiara Peccerillo0Chiara Elvira Mainardi1Rachele Nieri2Jalal Melhem Fouani3Alessia Cemmi4Massimo Cristofaro5Gianfranco Anfora6Valerio Mazzoni7Center of Agriculture, Food and Environment (C3A), University of Trento, 38010 San Michele all’Adige, ItalyBiotechnology and Biological Control Agency (BBCA) Onlus, Via Angelo Signorelli 105, 00123 Rome, ItalyCenter of Agriculture, Food and Environment (C3A), University of Trento, 38010 San Michele all’Adige, ItalyCenter of Agriculture, Food and Environment (C3A), University of Trento, 38010 San Michele all’Adige, ItalyItalian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 Rome, ItalyBiotechnology and Biological Control Agency (BBCA) Onlus, Via Angelo Signorelli 105, 00123 Rome, ItalyCenter of Agriculture, Food and Environment (C3A), University of Trento, 38010 San Michele all’Adige, ItalyResearch and Innovation Center, Fondazione Edmund Mach, 38010 San Michele all’Adige, ItalyThe painted bug, <i>Bagrada hilaris</i>, is an agricultural pest in its original areas (Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East), and it has recently been recorded as an invasive species in southwestern part of the US, Chile, Mexico, and two islands in the Mediterranean basin. Its polyphagous diet causes severe damage to economically important crops. The control of this pest is primarily achieved by means of synthetic pesticides, which are often expensive, ineffective, and harmful to the ecosystem. Recent physiological bioassays to assess its potential control through the sterile insect technique demonstrated that mating between untreated females and males irradiated at doses of 64 and 100 Gy, respectively, resulted in 90% and 100% sterility of the eggs produced by the females. In this study, the mating abilities of virgin males irradiated at 60 and 100 Gy with virgin females were measured through a study of short-range courtship mediated by vibrational communication. The results indicate that males irradiated at 100 Gy emit signals with lower peak frequencies, mate significantly less than unirradiated males do, and do not surpass the early stages of courtship. Conversely, males irradiated at 60 Gy present vibrational signal frequencies that are comparable to those of the control and successfully mated males. Our findings suggest that <i>B. hilaris</i> individuals irradiated at 60 Gy are good candidates for the control of this species, given that they retain sexual competitiveness regardless of their sterility, through an area-wide program that incorporates the sterile insect technique.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/14/4/353sterile insect techniquebiotremologybiological controlsexual selectionpest controlproduct quality assurance |
| spellingShingle | Chiara Peccerillo Chiara Elvira Mainardi Rachele Nieri Jalal Melhem Fouani Alessia Cemmi Massimo Cristofaro Gianfranco Anfora Valerio Mazzoni The Effect of the Sterile Insect Technique on Vibrational Communication: The Case of <i>Bagrada hilaris</i> (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) Insects sterile insect technique biotremology biological control sexual selection pest control product quality assurance |
| title | The Effect of the Sterile Insect Technique on Vibrational Communication: The Case of <i>Bagrada hilaris</i> (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) |
| title_full | The Effect of the Sterile Insect Technique on Vibrational Communication: The Case of <i>Bagrada hilaris</i> (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) |
| title_fullStr | The Effect of the Sterile Insect Technique on Vibrational Communication: The Case of <i>Bagrada hilaris</i> (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Effect of the Sterile Insect Technique on Vibrational Communication: The Case of <i>Bagrada hilaris</i> (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) |
| title_short | The Effect of the Sterile Insect Technique on Vibrational Communication: The Case of <i>Bagrada hilaris</i> (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) |
| title_sort | effect of the sterile insect technique on vibrational communication the case of i bagrada hilaris i hemiptera pentatomidae |
| topic | sterile insect technique biotremology biological control sexual selection pest control product quality assurance |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/14/4/353 |
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