Ionizing Irradiation of Adults of Angoumois Grain Moth (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) and Indianmeal Moth (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) to Prevent Reproduction, and Implications for a Generic Irradiation Treatment for Insects

Authors: Hallman, Guy J.; Phillips, Thomas W.

Source: Journal of Economic Entomology, Volume 101, Number 4, August 2008 , pp. 1051-1056(6)

Abstract:

Ionizing irradiation is used as a phytosanitary treatment against quarantine pests. A generic treatment of 400 Gy has been approved for commodities entering the United States against all insects except pupae and adults of Lepidoptera because some literature citations indicate that a few insects, namely, the Angoumois grain moth, Sitotroga cerealella (Olivier) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), and the Indianmeal moth, Plodia interpunctella (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), are not completely controlled at that dose. Radiotolerance in insects increases as the insects develop, so the minimum absorbed dose to prevent F₁ egg hatch for these two species when irradiated as adults was examined. Also, because hypoxia is known to increase radiotolerance in insects, Angoumois grain moth radiotolerance was tested in a hypoxic atmosphere. A dose range of 336-388 Gy prevented F₁ egg hatch from a total of 22,083 adult Indianmeal moths. Dose ranges of 443-505 and 590-674 Gy, respectively, prevented F₁ egg hatch from a total of 15,264 and 13,677 adult Angoumois grain moths irradiated in ambient and hypoxic atmospheres. A generic dose of 600 Gy for all insects in ambient atmospheres might be efficacious, although many fresh commodities may not tolerate it when applied on a commercial scale.

Keywords: Sitotroga cerealella; Plodia interpunctella; quarantine; commodity treatment; radiation

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