Sterilizing insects with ionizing radiation Bakri, A [Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna (Austria)]; Mehta, K; Lance, D R [USDA/APHIS/PPQ, Otis, MA (United States)] 60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES; CESIUM 137; COBALT 60; COCKROACHES; MOTHS; PEST CONTROL; QUALITY ASSURANCE; RADIATION DOSES; RADIATION SOURCES; RADIOSTERILIZATION; STERILE MALE TECHNIQUE; STERILITY Exposure to ionizing radiation is currently the method of choice for rendering insects reproductively sterile for area-wide integrated pest management (AW-IPM) programmes that integrate the sterile insect technique (SIT). Gamma radiation from isotopic sources (cobalt-60 or caesium-137) is most often used, but high-energy electrons and X-rays are other practical options. Insect irradiation is safe and reliable when established safety and quality-assurance guidelines are followed. The key processing parameter is absorbed dose, which must be tightly controlled to ensure that treated insects are sufficiently sterile in their reproductive cells and yet able to compete for mates with wild insects. To that end, accurate dosimetry (measurement of absorbed dose) is critical. Irradiation data generated since the 1950s, covering over 300 arthropod species, indicate that the dose needed for sterilization of arthropods varies from less than 5 Gy for blaberid cockroaches to 300 Gy or more for some arctiid and pyralid moths. Factors such as oxygen level, and insect age and stage during irradiation, and many others, influence both the absorbed dose required for sterilization and the viability of irradiated insects. Consideration of these factors in the design of irradiation protocols can help to find a balance between the sterility and competitiveness of insects produced for programmes that release sterile insects. Many programmes apply 'precautionary' radiation doses to increase the security margin of sterilization, but this overdosing often lowers competitiveness to the point where the overall induced sterility in the wild population is reduced significantly. (author) Springer, Dordrecht (Netherlands) IAEA 2005-07-01 English Miscellaneous Other Information: 153 refs, 2 figs, 4 tabs; Related Information: In: Sterile insect technique. Principles and practice in area-wide integrated pest management, by Dyck, V.A.; Hendrichs, J.; Robinson, A.S. (eds.) [International Atomic Energy Agency, Joint FAO/IAEA Programme, Vienna (Austria)], 787 pages. Medium: X; Size: page(s) 233-268 https://doi.org/ ISBN 1-4020-4050-4; ISBN 978 1-4020-4050-4; ISBN 1-4020-4051-2; ISBN 978 1-4020-4051-1 [] Other: ISBN 1-4020-4050-4; ISBN 978 1-4020-4050-4; ISBN 1-4020-4051-2; ISBN 978 1-4020-4051-1; TRN: XA0601031057378 INIS 2008-02-09 20748794