Optimal Irradiation Strategy to Induce Male Sterility in Cotton Mealybug, <i>Phenacoccus solenopsis</i> Tinsley (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae)

<i>Phenacoccus solenopsis</i> Tinsley is a highly invasive pest threatening global cotton production and numerous cultivated crops. The sterile insect technique (SIT), based on γ-ray irradiation, offers a sustainable and eco-friendly alternative to chemical controls for managing pests. T...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Wanying Dong, Yang Lei, Chaogang Liu, Farman Ullah, Jun Huang, Zhongshi Zhou, Yaobin Lu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-03-01
Series:Plants
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/6/912
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850280466309971968
author Wanying Dong
Yang Lei
Chaogang Liu
Farman Ullah
Jun Huang
Zhongshi Zhou
Yaobin Lu
author_facet Wanying Dong
Yang Lei
Chaogang Liu
Farman Ullah
Jun Huang
Zhongshi Zhou
Yaobin Lu
author_sort Wanying Dong
collection DOAJ
description <i>Phenacoccus solenopsis</i> Tinsley is a highly invasive pest threatening global cotton production and numerous cultivated crops. The sterile insect technique (SIT), based on γ-ray irradiation, offers a sustainable and eco-friendly alternative to chemical controls for managing pests. This study aimed to determine the optimal developmental stage and radiation dose to induce sterility in <i>P. solenopsis</i>. Male pupae aged 5 days demonstrated the highest tolerance to irradiation among all tested age groups. These 5-day-old male pupae were irradiated with 20, 40, 60, and 100 Gy and mated with unirradiated females, and the effects on mating rate, oviposition stage, egg number, egg hatchability, male adult lifespan, and female sex ratio were assessed. Sterility was effectively induced by 60 Gy in males without compromising their mating competitiveness in the parental (F<sub>0</sub>) generation. Moreover, sterility traits were inherited by descendants, leading to a progressive decline in population size across the F<sub>1</sub> and F<sub>2</sub> generations. Therefore, a 60 Gy dose was identified as optimal for suppressing <i>P. solenopsis</i> in field settings. These findings establish a theoretical foundation for implementing SIT as a regional pest management strategy for <i>P. solenopsis</i>.
format Article
id doaj-art-df61e6af5ffe4866852b9f00d796f940
institution OA Journals
issn 2223-7747
language English
publishDate 2025-03-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Plants
spelling doaj-art-df61e6af5ffe4866852b9f00d796f9402025-08-20T01:48:45ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472025-03-0114691210.3390/plants14060912Optimal Irradiation Strategy to Induce Male Sterility in Cotton Mealybug, <i>Phenacoccus solenopsis</i> Tinsley (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae)Wanying Dong0Yang Lei1Chaogang Liu2Farman Ullah3Jun Huang4Zhongshi Zhou5Yaobin Lu6State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Key Laboratory of Biotechnology in Plant Protection of MOA of China and Zhejiang Province, Institute of Plant Protection and Microbiology, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, ChinaState Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Key Laboratory of Biotechnology in Plant Protection of MOA of China and Zhejiang Province, Institute of Plant Protection and Microbiology, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, ChinaInstitute of Crops and Nuclear Technology Utilization, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, ChinaState Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Key Laboratory of Biotechnology in Plant Protection of MOA of China and Zhejiang Province, Institute of Plant Protection and Microbiology, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, ChinaState Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Key Laboratory of Biotechnology in Plant Protection of MOA of China and Zhejiang Province, Institute of Plant Protection and Microbiology, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, ChinaState Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, ChinaState Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Key Laboratory of Biotechnology in Plant Protection of MOA of China and Zhejiang Province, Institute of Plant Protection and Microbiology, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China<i>Phenacoccus solenopsis</i> Tinsley is a highly invasive pest threatening global cotton production and numerous cultivated crops. The sterile insect technique (SIT), based on γ-ray irradiation, offers a sustainable and eco-friendly alternative to chemical controls for managing pests. This study aimed to determine the optimal developmental stage and radiation dose to induce sterility in <i>P. solenopsis</i>. Male pupae aged 5 days demonstrated the highest tolerance to irradiation among all tested age groups. These 5-day-old male pupae were irradiated with 20, 40, 60, and 100 Gy and mated with unirradiated females, and the effects on mating rate, oviposition stage, egg number, egg hatchability, male adult lifespan, and female sex ratio were assessed. Sterility was effectively induced by 60 Gy in males without compromising their mating competitiveness in the parental (F<sub>0</sub>) generation. Moreover, sterility traits were inherited by descendants, leading to a progressive decline in population size across the F<sub>1</sub> and F<sub>2</sub> generations. Therefore, a 60 Gy dose was identified as optimal for suppressing <i>P. solenopsis</i> in field settings. These findings establish a theoretical foundation for implementing SIT as a regional pest management strategy for <i>P. solenopsis</i>.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/6/912<i>Phenacoccus solenopsis</i> Tinsleysterile insect techniqueγ-rayoptimal doseradiation biologymating competitiveness
spellingShingle Wanying Dong
Yang Lei
Chaogang Liu
Farman Ullah
Jun Huang
Zhongshi Zhou
Yaobin Lu
Optimal Irradiation Strategy to Induce Male Sterility in Cotton Mealybug, <i>Phenacoccus solenopsis</i> Tinsley (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae)
Plants
<i>Phenacoccus solenopsis</i> Tinsley
sterile insect technique
γ-ray
optimal dose
radiation biology
mating competitiveness
title Optimal Irradiation Strategy to Induce Male Sterility in Cotton Mealybug, <i>Phenacoccus solenopsis</i> Tinsley (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae)
title_full Optimal Irradiation Strategy to Induce Male Sterility in Cotton Mealybug, <i>Phenacoccus solenopsis</i> Tinsley (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae)
title_fullStr Optimal Irradiation Strategy to Induce Male Sterility in Cotton Mealybug, <i>Phenacoccus solenopsis</i> Tinsley (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae)
title_full_unstemmed Optimal Irradiation Strategy to Induce Male Sterility in Cotton Mealybug, <i>Phenacoccus solenopsis</i> Tinsley (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae)
title_short Optimal Irradiation Strategy to Induce Male Sterility in Cotton Mealybug, <i>Phenacoccus solenopsis</i> Tinsley (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae)
title_sort optimal irradiation strategy to induce male sterility in cotton mealybug i phenacoccus solenopsis i tinsley hemiptera pseudococcidae
topic <i>Phenacoccus solenopsis</i> Tinsley
sterile insect technique
γ-ray
optimal dose
radiation biology
mating competitiveness
url https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/6/912
work_keys_str_mv AT wanyingdong optimalirradiationstrategytoinducemalesterilityincottonmealybugiphenacoccussolenopsisitinsleyhemipterapseudococcidae
AT yanglei optimalirradiationstrategytoinducemalesterilityincottonmealybugiphenacoccussolenopsisitinsleyhemipterapseudococcidae
AT chaogangliu optimalirradiationstrategytoinducemalesterilityincottonmealybugiphenacoccussolenopsisitinsleyhemipterapseudococcidae
AT farmanullah optimalirradiationstrategytoinducemalesterilityincottonmealybugiphenacoccussolenopsisitinsleyhemipterapseudococcidae
AT junhuang optimalirradiationstrategytoinducemalesterilityincottonmealybugiphenacoccussolenopsisitinsleyhemipterapseudococcidae
AT zhongshizhou optimalirradiationstrategytoinducemalesterilityincottonmealybugiphenacoccussolenopsisitinsleyhemipterapseudococcidae
AT yaobinlu optimalirradiationstrategytoinducemalesterilityincottonmealybugiphenacoccussolenopsisitinsleyhemipterapseudococcidae