Source: AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SERVICE submitted to
USE OF INHERITED STERILITY TO STUDY AND MANAGE C. CACTORUM, AN INVADING OPUNTIA-FEEDING MOTH
Sponsoring Institution
Agricultural Research Service/USDA
Project Status
TERMINATED
Funding Source
USDA INHOUSE
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
0409097
Grant No.
(N/A)
Project No.
6602-22000-034-05T
Proposal No.
(N/A)
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Program Code
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Jan 1, 2001
Project End Date
Dec 31, 2005
Grant Year
(N/A)
Project Director
CARPENTER J E
Recipient Organization
AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SERVICE
(N/A)
TIFTON,GA 31793
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
(N/A)
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
70%
Applied
20%
Developmental
10%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
21131101130100%
Knowledge Area
211 - Insects, Mites, and Other Arthropods Affecting Plants;

Subject Of Investigation
3110 - Insects;

Field Of Science
1130 - Entomology and acarology;
Goals / Objectives
Cactoblastis cactorum will be used as a unique model system to conduct proof-of-concept studies to develop the use of inherited (F1) sterility as a new risk management tool for assessing the safety of exotic lepidopterans being considered as biological control agents for invasive weeds, and as a risk mitigation tool for invasive lepidopteran pests.
Project Methods
We will quantify radiation-induced, inherited sterility effects in C. cactorum; test normal and reproductively inactivated C. cactorum against key native Opuntia species from across the U.S., Mexico and Central America to elucidate its potential host range; determine temperature thresholds for overwintering and larval development to predict potential geographic range; utilize F1 sterile eggs/larvae/pupae to determine the potential impact of native parasitoids/predators on the spread of C. cactorum; develop mass-rearing technology for C. cactorum and conduct sterile insect release trials to measure the efficacy of the sterile insect technique as a control tactic for C. cactorum. Reproductively inactivated C. cactorum will be compared with normal C. cactorum for their host choice and ability to survive on various host species under field conditions, their movement/expansion in their natural habitat, and their susceptibility to mortality agents such as parasitoids and predators.

Progress 01/01/01 to 12/31/05

Outputs
Progress Report 4d Progress report. Final report. This report serves to document research conducted under a trust agreement between ARS and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Additional details of research can be found in the report for the parent project 6602-22000-035-00D, "Integrated Management Strategies Related To Insects For Established And Invasive Pest Species." Research was conducted at the Crop Protection and Management Research Unit, Tifton, GA, to investigate the potential of using radiation-induced inherited sterility to study the risk of non-target effects of potential weed biological control agents that are Lepidoptera. It is becoming more difficult to import and release certain natural beneficial insects as biological control agents of certain pests or weeds because of the growing concern among scientists and environmental organizations that some biological control agents will cause non-target effects and become a pest. Using the invasive species, Cactoblastis cactorum, to study this concept, we demonstrated that male moths could be exposed to a dose of radiation that would allow the production of sterile offspring while preventing any reproduction in the irradiated female moth, that normal female moths which mated with irradiated males would produce offspring that were completely sterile, and that host preference for oviposition by these females is not altered by mating with irradiated males. These results provided the requisite data for USDA-APHIS to issue a permit to test these irradiated insects in the field, and provided a positive foundation for evaluating this approach as a method of reducing risk of non-target effects of exotic natural enemies, while simultaneously improving the approval process for the importation and release of exotic natural enemies of weeds.

Impacts
(N/A)

Publications


    Progress 10/01/04 to 09/30/05

    Outputs
    4d Progress report. This report serves to document research conducted under a trust agreement between ARS and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Additional details of research can be found in the report for the parent CRIS 6602- 22000-034-00D, "Integration of Alternative Pest Management Strategies for Management of Insects and Aflatoxin Contamination." It is becoming more difficult to import and release certain natural beneficial insects as biological control agents of certain pests or weeds because of the growing concern among scientists and environmental organizations that some biological control agents will cause non-target effects and become a pest. Research was conducted at the Crop Protection and Management Research Unit, Tifton, GA, to investigate the potential of using radiation-induced inherited sterility to study the risk of non- target effects of potential weed biological control agents that are Lepidoptera. Using the invasive species, Cactoblastis cactorum, to study this concept, we demonstrated that male moths could be exposed to a dose of radiation that would allow the production of sterile offspring while preventing any reproduction in the irradiated female moth, and demonstrated that host preference for oviposition was not altered by the radiation. These results provided the requisite data for USDA-APHIS to issue a permit to test these irradiated insects in the field, and stimulated many researchers and environmental organizations to consider evaluating this approach as a method of reducing risk of non-target effects of exotic natural enemies.

    Impacts
    (N/A)

    Publications