Spatio temporal association between sterile and wild males in a Ceratitis capitata SIT programme

Abstract The Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly), Ceratitis capitata, is a key pest for fruit production in the Mediterranean and other areas of the world. With the aim of contributing to knowledge on the management of this pest, the present study analyses the spatial distribution of medfly sterile mal...

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Main Authors: Marco Colacci, Maria Rosaria Tabilio, Daniele Lolletti, Patrizia Ferrante, Claudio Ceccaroli, Guido Bernabei, Andrea Sciarretta
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-06-01
Series:Scientific Reports
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-04369-7
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author Marco Colacci
Maria Rosaria Tabilio
Daniele Lolletti
Patrizia Ferrante
Claudio Ceccaroli
Guido Bernabei
Andrea Sciarretta
author_facet Marco Colacci
Maria Rosaria Tabilio
Daniele Lolletti
Patrizia Ferrante
Claudio Ceccaroli
Guido Bernabei
Andrea Sciarretta
author_sort Marco Colacci
collection DOAJ
description Abstract The Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly), Ceratitis capitata, is a key pest for fruit production in the Mediterranean and other areas of the world. With the aim of contributing to knowledge on the management of this pest, the present study analyses the spatial distribution of medfly sterile males released during a pilot application of Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) in a multi-varietal fruit farm in Central Italy. The spatio-temporal distribution was analysed with the Spatial Analyses by Distance Indices (SADIE) methodology. The wild male population and the released sterile males showed an aggregate distribution in the field, even though the latter were released uniformly in the experimental farm. Furthermore, the spatial dispersion of sterile flies mirrored that of the wild flies throughout the entire release period of the sterile males, which lasted about 4 months. This aspect is critical for the correct application of the SIT. These results provide useful insights on the application of sterile males to control medfly populations.
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spelling doaj-art-e72c56d39f354b9f8d459dd868a0badc2025-08-20T02:05:46ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-06-0115111210.1038/s41598-025-04369-7Spatio temporal association between sterile and wild males in a Ceratitis capitata SIT programmeMarco Colacci0Maria Rosaria Tabilio1Daniele Lolletti2Patrizia Ferrante3Claudio Ceccaroli4Guido Bernabei5Andrea Sciarretta6Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, University of MoliseResearch Centre for Olive, Fruit and Citrus Crops, CREA, Council for Agricultural Research and EconomicsResearch Centre for Olive, Fruit and Citrus Crops, CREA, Council for Agricultural Research and EconomicsResearch Centre for Olive, Fruit and Citrus Crops, CREA, Council for Agricultural Research and EconomicsResearch Centre for Olive, Fruit and Citrus Crops, CREA, Council for Agricultural Research and EconomicsResearch Centre for Olive, Fruit and Citrus Crops, CREA, Council for Agricultural Research and EconomicsDepartment of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, University of MoliseAbstract The Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly), Ceratitis capitata, is a key pest for fruit production in the Mediterranean and other areas of the world. With the aim of contributing to knowledge on the management of this pest, the present study analyses the spatial distribution of medfly sterile males released during a pilot application of Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) in a multi-varietal fruit farm in Central Italy. The spatio-temporal distribution was analysed with the Spatial Analyses by Distance Indices (SADIE) methodology. The wild male population and the released sterile males showed an aggregate distribution in the field, even though the latter were released uniformly in the experimental farm. Furthermore, the spatial dispersion of sterile flies mirrored that of the wild flies throughout the entire release period of the sterile males, which lasted about 4 months. This aspect is critical for the correct application of the SIT. These results provide useful insights on the application of sterile males to control medfly populations.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-04369-7TephritidaeMediterranean fruit flySterile Insect TechniqueCluster indexesSpatial association
spellingShingle Marco Colacci
Maria Rosaria Tabilio
Daniele Lolletti
Patrizia Ferrante
Claudio Ceccaroli
Guido Bernabei
Andrea Sciarretta
Spatio temporal association between sterile and wild males in a Ceratitis capitata SIT programme
Scientific Reports
Tephritidae
Mediterranean fruit fly
Sterile Insect Technique
Cluster indexes
Spatial association
title Spatio temporal association between sterile and wild males in a Ceratitis capitata SIT programme
title_full Spatio temporal association between sterile and wild males in a Ceratitis capitata SIT programme
title_fullStr Spatio temporal association between sterile and wild males in a Ceratitis capitata SIT programme
title_full_unstemmed Spatio temporal association between sterile and wild males in a Ceratitis capitata SIT programme
title_short Spatio temporal association between sterile and wild males in a Ceratitis capitata SIT programme
title_sort spatio temporal association between sterile and wild males in a ceratitis capitata sit programme
topic Tephritidae
Mediterranean fruit fly
Sterile Insect Technique
Cluster indexes
Spatial association
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-04369-7
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