Sterile Insect Technique for All - Development and Implementation of SIT for Agriculture, Public Health and Natural Ecosystems
3: Putting our thumb on the scale: Methyl eugenol insensitivity may enable combination of MAT and SIT against the Oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis
Combining two of the most important tools against Bactrocera dorsalis, male annihilation technique (MAT) and sterile insect technique (SIT), holds promise to improve the control and enable eradication of this serious invasive agricultural pest. A synergy of the two techniques would increase the relative reproductive fitness of released sterile males by rendering them less- or non- responsive to the powerful male lure-baited traps that attract and kill their wild competitors. In this presentation I will describe the fortuitous discovery of male B. dorsalis in nature that have a low response to ME and experiments we conducted to determine the likely cause of this behavioral phenotype.
.jpg "Dong H. Cha photo")
.jpg "Sheina Biason Sim (she/her/hers) photo")