scholarly journals Agar and Carrageenan as Cost-Effective Gelling Agents in Yeast-Reduced Artificial Diets for Mass-Rearing Fruit Flies and Their Parasitoids

Insects ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Pascacio-Villafán ◽  
Larissa Guillén ◽  
Martín Aluja

The development of cost-effective diets for mass-rearing fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) and their parasitoids in pest control programs based on the Sterile Insect Technique is a high priority worldwide. To this end, we tested carrageenan, agar, gelatin and two types of pregelatinized corn starches as gelling agents at varying percentages in a yeast-reduced liquid larval diet for rearing the Mexfly, Anastrepha ludens. Only diets with 0.234% (w/w) agar or 0.424% carrageenan were identified as diets with potential for mass-rearing A. ludens in terms of the number of pupae recovered from the diet, pupal weight, adult emergence, flight ability and diet cost. Comparative experiments showed that yeast-reduced agar and carrageenan gel diets produced heavier pupae and higher proportions of flying adults than the standard mass-rearing diet. The gel-agar and mass-rearing diets produced more pupae than the gel-carrageenan diet, but the latter produced more suitable larvae as hosts for rearing of Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) females, a widely used fruit fly biocontrol agent. Yeast-reduced agar and carrageenan gel diets could represent cost-effective fruit fly mass-rearing diets if a practical system for gel diet preparation and dispensation at fruit fly mass-rearing facilities is developed.

2006 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 705-708 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raimundo Braga Sobrinho ◽  
Carlos Caceres ◽  
Amirul Islam ◽  
Vivat Wornoayporn ◽  
Walter Enkerlin

The objective of this work was to develop suitable and economic diets for mass rearing Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae). Diets containing sugar beet bagase, wheat bran, brewer yeast, and others with wheat bran and palletized soybean protein from Brazil were tested. Diets based on soybean protein have shown promising results regarding pupal recovery, pupal weight and adult emergence. Soybean bagase in the form of pellets with 60% of protein can be a very important substitute for other expensive sources of protein.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (S2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahfuza Khan ◽  
Kajla Seheli ◽  
Md. Abdul Bari ◽  
Nahida Sultana ◽  
Shakil Ahmed Khan ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The Oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) (Diptera: Tephritidae), is an important polyphagous pest of horticultural produce. The sterile insect technique (SIT) is a proven control method against many insect pests, including fruit flies, under area-wide pest management programs. High quality mass-rearing process and the cost-effective production of sterile target species are important for SIT. Irradiation is reported to cause severe damage to the symbiotic community structure in the mid gut of fruit fly species, impairing SIT success. However, studies have found that target-specific manipulation of insect gut bacteria can positively impact the overall fitness of SIT-specific insects. Results Twelve bacterial genera were isolated and identified from B. dorsalis eggs, third instars larval gut and adults gut. The bacterial genera were Acinetobacter, Alcaligenes, Citrobacter, Pseudomonas, Proteus, and Stenotrophomonas, belonging to the Enterobacteriaceae family. Larval diet enrichment with the selected bacterial isolate, Proteus sp. was found to improve adult emergence, percentage of male, and survival under stress. However, no significant changes were recorded in B. dorsalis egg hatching, pupal yield, pupal weight, duration of the larval stage, or flight ability. Conclusions These findings support the hypothesis that gut bacterial isolates can be used in conjunction with SIT. The newly developed gel-based larval diet incorporated with Proteus sp. isolates can be used for large-scale mass rearing of B. dorsalis in the SIT program.


2013 ◽  
Vol 104 (2) ◽  
pp. 176-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Rao ◽  
S. Aguilar-Argüello ◽  
P. Montoya ◽  
F. Díaz-Fleischer

AbstractFruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) are major pests worldwide. The sterile insect technique, where millions of flies are reared, sterilized by irradiation and then released, is one of the most successful and ecologically friendly methods of controlling populations of these pests. The mating behaviour of irradiated and non-irradiated flies has been compared in earlier studies, but there has been little attention paid to the anti-predator behaviour of mass-reared flies, especially with respect to wild flies. Tephritid flies perform a supination display to their jumping spider predators in order to deter attacks. In this study, we evaluated the possibility of using this display to determine the anti-predator capabilities of mass-reared irradiated, non-irradiated flies, and wild flies. We used an arena setup and observed bouts between jumping spiders (Phidippus audax Hentz) and male Mexican fruit flies (Anastrepha ludens Loew). We show that although all flies performed a supination display to their predator, wild flies were more likely to perform a display and were significantly more successful in avoiding attack than mass-reared flies. We suggest that this interaction can be used to develop a rapid realistic method of quality control in evaluating anti-predator abilities of mass-reared fruit flies.


Insects ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 662
Author(s):  
Flávio R. M. Garcia ◽  
Sérgio M. Ovruski ◽  
Lorena Suárez ◽  
Jorge Cancino ◽  
Oscar E. Liburd

Biological control has been the most commonly researched control tactic within fruit fly management programs. For the first time, a review is carried out covering parasitoids and predators of fruit flies (Tephritidae) from the Americas and Hawaii, presenting the main biological control programs in this region. In this work, 31 species of fruit flies of economic importance are considered in the genera Anastrepha (11), Rhagoletis (14), Bactrocera (4), Ceratitis (1), and Zeugodacus (1). In this study, a total of 79 parasitoid species of fruit flies of economic importance are listed and, from these, 50 are native and 29 are introduced. A total of 56 species of fruit fly predators occur in the Americas and Hawaii.


2015 ◽  
Vol 105 (6) ◽  
pp. 743-753 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Birke ◽  
E. Acosta ◽  
M. Aluja

AbstractAnastepha ludens (Diptera: Tephritidae) is a highly polyphagous fruit fly that is able to develop in a wide range of hosts. Understanding the limits of this pest's host range could provide valuable information for pest management and plant breeding for pest resistance. Previous studies have shown that guavas (Psidium guajava (Myrtaceae) L.), are not attacked under natural conditions by A. ludens. To understand this phenomenon, guavas were exposed to natural infestation by A. ludens and to other fruit fly species that infest guavas in nature (Anastrepha striata Schiner, Anastepha fraterculus (Wiedemann), Anastepha obliqua (Macquart)). Once the susceptible phenological stage of guavas was determined, fruit infestation levels were compared between A. ludens and A. striata. Choice and non-choice tests were performed under field-cage conditions. Under field conditions, guavas were susceptible to A. striata and A. fraterculus attack all the way from when fruit was undeveloped to when fruit began to ripen. No infestation by A. ludens was recorded under natural conditions. Similar results were obtained when forced exposures were performed, indicating that unripe guavas were preferred by A. striata over ripe fruit, and that infestation rates were higher at early fruit maturity stages. Under forced oviposition conditions, A. ludens larvae were unable to develop in unripe guavas but did so in fully ripe fruit. However, A. ludens fitness parameters were dramatically affected, exhibiting reduced survival and reduced pupal weight compared to conspecifics that developed in a natural host, grapefruit. We confirm that P. guajava should not be treated as a natural host of this pestiferous species, and suggest that both behavioral aspects and the fact that larvae are unable to adequately develop in this fruit, indeed represent clear limits to A. ludens's broad host range.


Biologia ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 62 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Martina Pašková

AbstractFive larval diets for laboratory rearing of Ceratitis capitata were tested. These diets were based on wheat bran, microcellulose, potato starch and agar. To evaluate the quality of diet, pupal rearing efficacy and pupal weight were checked. The best results were obtained with an agar based diet used for Manduca sexta laboratory rearing. To simplify the preparation and to reduce the cost of this diet, a new formulation was developed. Larvae reared on the new agar-based diet achieved higher pupal rearing efficacy than larvae reared on bran diet recently used in medfly mass rearing facilities. Heat treated medflies reared on the new agar-based diet achieved similar pupal rearing efficacy with heat treated medflies reared on bran diet. When testing population density, higher pupal rearing efficacy was again achieved on new diet. The highest pupal rearing efficacy was achieved with 100 eggs per 25 g of diet, lowest with 500 eggs per 25 g of diet. Concerning pupal weight, there was no difference in results achieved on Petri dishes with different larval population densities. Larvae reared on new agar-based diet reached better results than larvae reared on bran diet. The preparation of the new diet is simple and the cost is low, so it is good for laboratory tests and rearing.


1990 ◽  
Vol 53 (4) ◽  
pp. 329-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
GENE E. LESTER ◽  
DAN A. WOLFENBARGER

Percent electrolyte leakage, a measure of membrane integrity, proved to be a good predictor (R2 = 0.99) of cobalt-60 gamma irradiation dose injury on mid-season ‘Ruby Red’ grapefruit Citrus paradisi (Macf.) flavedo tissue (peel). Percent electrolyte leakage on grapefruit peel following a dose-rate of 250 grays/1.0, 2.5, 5.0, and 25.0 min decreased as grays/min (dose-rate) decreased. Total phenols, a biochemical response to irradiation following 250 grays/1.0, 2.5, 5.0, and 25.0 min also decreased as dose-rate decreased, demonstrating that injury to grapefruit peel diminished as 250 grays of gamma irradiation/rate declined. Comparisons of 10 and 20 grays of cobalt-60 gamma irradiation showed that a dose-rate of 10 grays/0.25 min to naked 8-d old Mexican fruit fly Anastrepha ludens (Loew) larvae caused a 90% reduction of adult emergence. Whereas, at 20 grays the reduction was greater than 99% with dose-rates of 20 grays/0.25, 0.5, 1.0, or 100 min. These data show that a gamma irradiation dose capable of reducing fly emergence by >99% will maintain an inhibitory effect even at relatively lower dose-rates. Therefore, once a quarantine security treatment for Mexican fruit fly is established, a lower dose-rate will reduce adult emergence and should impart little damage to grapefruit peel tissue.


2020 ◽  
Vol 78 ◽  
pp. 41-56
Author(s):  
Jassmin Cruz-Bustos ◽  
Pablo Montoya ◽  
Gabriela Pérez-Lachaud ◽  
Javier Valle-Mora ◽  
Pablo Liedo

Doryctobracon areolatus (Szépligeti), a solitary endoparasitoid native to the Neotropics, attacks eggs and early instar larvae of Anastrepha fruit flies, and can enter diapause under tropical and subtropical conditions. We aimed to test if biological attributes, such as size, flight ability, starvation resistance, longevity and fecundity of diapausing individuals differ from those of non-diapausing ones. Parasitoids were obtained from a laboratory colony reared on Anastrepha ludens (Loew) larvae. Parasitized host puparia were sorted in two cohorts according to their diapause condition. Developmental time from egg to adult ranged from 18 to 31 days in non-diapausing parasitoids, and 70 to 278 days for diapausing individuals. Pupal weight and adult measurements were higher in non-diapausing than in diapausing parasitoids. There were no differences in adult longevity, starvation resistance, and emergence between diapausing and non-diapausing wasps. Flight ability and fecundity rates were greater in the non-diapausing than in the diapause cohort. The proportion of female offspring was greater in the non-diapausing cohort (42.5%), whereas in the diapausing cohort the male offspring proportion was greater (62.4%). Both cohorts produced diapause offspring, but the non-diapausing cohort produced more (26.6%) than the diapausing one (9.1%). Maternal age had a significant effect on the proportion of diapause offspring: in 26 to 34 days old non-diapausing females, 78.9% of their offspring entered into diapause. These results confirmed that diapause affects the biological attributes of D. areolatus. The observed differences contribute to better understand the diapause influence on the colonization and rearing process of this species and its use as biocontrol agent.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (S2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucas Alexander Shuttleworth ◽  
Mohammed Abul Monjur Khan ◽  
Terrence Osborne ◽  
Damian Collins ◽  
Mukesh Srivastava ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt) (Diptera, Tephritidae) is the most significant insect pest of Australian horticulture. Bactrocera tryoni is controlled using a range of tools including the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT). Mass-rearing and irradiation of pupae in SIT can reduce the fitness and quality of the released sterile insects. Studies have also showed reduced microbial gut diversity in domesticated versus wild tephritids. Results Transmission electron microscopy confirmed the presence of the bacterial isolates in the mid-gut of mass-reared larvae, and plate counts from individual larval guts showed increased numbers of bacteria in supplemented larvae. Several developmental and fitness parameters were tested including larval development time (egg-hatch to pupation), pupal weight, emergence, flight ability, sex-ratio, and time to adult eclosion (egg-hatch to adult eclosion). Enterobacter sp. and Asaia sp. shortened larval development time, while this was delayed by Lactobacillus sp., Leuconostoc sp. and a blend of all four bacteria. The mean time from egg hatch to adult eclosion was significantly reduced by Leuconostoc sp. and the blend for males and females, indicating that the individual bacterium and consortium affect flies differently depending on the life stage (larval or pupal). There was no impact of bacterial supplemented larvae on pupal weight, emergence, flight ability, or sex ratio. Conclusions Our findings show that bacteria fed to the larval stage of B. tryoni can impart fitness advantages, but the selection of probiotic strains (individual or a consortium) is key, as each have varying effects on the host. Bacteria added to the larval diet particularly Leuconostoc sp. and the blend have the capacity to reduce costs and increase the number of flies produced in mass-rearing facilities by reducing time to adult eclosion by 1.3 and 0.8 mean days for males, and 1.2 and 0.8 mean days for females.


Insects ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 371 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa S. Dias ◽  
Guy J. Hallman ◽  
Olga Y. Martínez-Barrera ◽  
Nick V. Hurtado ◽  
Amanda A. S. Cardoso ◽  
...  

Phytosanitary irradiation (PI) has been successfully used to disinfest fresh commodities and facilitate international agricultural trade. Critical aspects that may reduce PI efficacy must be considered to ensure the consistency and effectiveness of approved treatment schedules. One factor that can potentially reduce PI efficacy is irradiation under low oxygen conditions. This factor is particularly important because storage and packaging of horticultural commodities under low oxygen levels constitute practices widely used to preserve their quality and extend their shelf life. Hence, international organizations and regulatory agencies have considered the uncertainties regarding the efficacy of PI doses for insects infesting fresh commodities stored under low oxygen levels as a rationale for restricting PI application under modified atmosphere. Our research examines the extent to which low oxygen treatments can reduce the efficacy of phytosanitary irradiation for tephritids naturally infesting fruits. The effects of normoxia (21% O2), hypoxia (~5% O2), and severe hypoxia (< 0.5% O2) on radiation sensitivity of third instars of Anastrepha fraterculus (sensu lato), A. ludens (Loew), Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel), and Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) were evaluated and compared at several gamma radiation doses. Our findings suggest that, compared to normoxia, hypoxic and severe-hypoxic conditioning before and during irradiation can increase adult emergence and contribute to advancement of larval development of tephritid fruit flies only at low radiation doses that are not used as phytosanitary treatments. With phytosanitary irradiation doses approved internationally for several tephritids, low oxygen treatments applied before and during irradiation did not increase the emergence rates of any fruit fly species evaluated, and all treated insects died as coarctate larvae. Thus, the findings of our research support a re-evaluation of restrictions related to phytosanitary irradiation application under modified atmospheres targeting tephritid fruit flies.


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