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Mainardi CE, Peccerillo C, Paolini A, Cemmi A, Sforza RFH, Musmeci S, Porretta D, Cristofaro M. Using Gamma Irradiation to Predict Sperm Competition Mechanism in Bagrada hilaris (Burmeister) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae): Insights for a Future Management Strategy. INSECTS 2023; 14:681. [PMID: 37623391 PMCID: PMC10455075 DOI: 10.3390/insects14080681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023]
Abstract
The stink bug, Bagrada hilaris, is a pest of mainly Brassicaceae crops. It is native to Africa and Asia and was recently reported as invasive in the southwestern part of the USA and in South America. There are no mitigation programs in place that do not involve pesticides. Therefore, much attention has recently been paid to the study of this species in order to identify sustainable and effective control strategies, such as the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT). In order to evaluate the suitability of the SIT on this pest, the mechanism of post-copulatory sperm competition was investigated. This is a polyandrous species, and it is thus important to understand whether irradiated males are able to compete with wild, e.g., non-irradiated, males for sperm competition after matings. Sperm competition was studied by sequentially mating a healthy virgin female first with a non-irradiated male, and then with a γ-irradiated (Co-60) one, and again in the opposite order. Males were irradiated at three different doses: 60, 80, and 100 Gy. The fecundity and fertility of the females, in the two orders of mating, were scored in order to perform an initial assessment of the success of sperm competition with a P2 index. Sperm from the non-irradiated male were utilized at the lowest irradiation doses (60 and 80 Gy), whereas the irradiated sperm were preferentially utilized at the highest dose (100 Gy). Bagrada hilaris exhibited high variability in P2 indexes, indicating a sperm-mixing mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Elvira Mainardi
- Biotechnology and Biological Control Agency (BBCA) Onlus, Via Angelo Signorelli 105, 00123 Rome, Italy; (A.P.); (M.C.)
- Department of Environmental Biology, University of Rome “La Sapienza”, 00185 Rome, Italy;
| | - Chiara Peccerillo
- Center of Agriculture, Food and Environment (C3A), University of Trento, 38010 San Michele all’Adige, Italy;
| | - Alessandra Paolini
- Biotechnology and Biological Control Agency (BBCA) Onlus, Via Angelo Signorelli 105, 00123 Rome, Italy; (A.P.); (M.C.)
| | - Alessia Cemmi
- FSN-FISS-SNI Laboratory, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 Rome, Italy
| | - René F. H. Sforza
- European Biological Control Laboratory, (USDA-ARS-EBCL), United States Department of Agriculture, 810 Avenue du Campus Agropolis, 34980 Montferrier-sur-Lez, France;
| | - Sergio Musmeci
- SSPT-BIOAG-SOQUAS Laboratory, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 Rome, Italy
| | - Daniele Porretta
- Department of Environmental Biology, University of Rome “La Sapienza”, 00185 Rome, Italy;
| | - Massimo Cristofaro
- Biotechnology and Biological Control Agency (BBCA) Onlus, Via Angelo Signorelli 105, 00123 Rome, Italy; (A.P.); (M.C.)
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Cristofaro M, Fornari C, Mariani F, Cemmi A, Guedj M, Ben Jamaa ML, Msaad Guerfali M, Tabone E, Castellana R, Sasso R, Musmeci S. Effects of γ-Irradiation on Mating Behavior of Red Palm Weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier, 1790) (Coleoptera: Dryophthoridae). INSECTS 2023; 14:661. [PMID: 37504667 PMCID: PMC10380771 DOI: 10.3390/insects14070661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Red palm weevil (RPW) Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier 1790) is a highly invasive species originating from Southeast Asia and Melanesia. Over the past 30 years, this alien pest has spread extensively in the Middle East and the Mediterranean basin. Its endophagous larvae feed on various palm species, causing significant damage that leads to the death of palm trees. Controlling RPW infestations is challenging due to their gregarious nature and the lack of detectable early symptoms. Systemic insecticides are effective means of control, but their use in urban areas is prohibited and resistance can develop. Considering alternative options with minimal environmental impact, the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) has been explored. Previous research has shown that male RPWs irradiated at 80 Gy or higher achieve full sterility. This study aimed to investigate in laboratory conditions whether RPW sterile males (irradiated at 60 and 80 Gy) could compete sexually with non-irradiate males. Laboratory bio-assays under both no-choice and choice conditions assessed sexual performance in terms of number of matings, mating duration and time elapsed until the first mating. The results confirmed that irradiation does not negatively affect the mating performance of sterile males, demonstrating their ability to compete successfully with non-irradiated males in both experimental setups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Massimo Cristofaro
- Biotechnology and Biological Control Agency (BBCA), Via Angelo Signorelli 105, 00123 Rome, Italy
| | - Chiara Fornari
- Biotechnology and Biological Control Agency (BBCA), Via Angelo Signorelli 105, 00123 Rome, Italy
- Department of Environmental Biology, University of Rome "La Sapienza", 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Flaminia Mariani
- Biotechnology and Biological Control Agency (BBCA), Via Angelo Signorelli 105, 00123 Rome, Italy
| | - Alessia Cemmi
- ENEA, Casaccia Research Center, FSN-FISS-SNI Laboratory, Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 Rome, Italy
| | - Michèle Guedj
- Biotechnology and Biological Control Agency (BBCA), Via Angelo Signorelli 105, 00123 Rome, Italy
| | - Mohamed Lahbib Ben Jamaa
- Direction Générale de la Santé Végétale et du Contrôle des Intrants Agricoles (DGSVCIA), 30 Rue Alain Savary, Tunis 1002, Tunisia
- Institut National de Recherches en Génie Rural, Eaux et Forêts (INRGREF), Université de Carthage, Rue Hédi EL Karray El Menzah IV, Tunis 1004, Tunisia
| | - Meriem Msaad Guerfali
- Laboratory of Biotechnology and Nuclear Technologies, LR2016CNSTN01, Centre National des Sciences et Technologies Nucléaires (CNSTN), Technopole Sidi Thabet, Tunis 2020, Tunisia
| | - Elisabeth Tabone
- INRAE UEVT, Laboratoire Biocontrôle, 90 Chemin Raymond, 06160 Antibes, France
| | - Robert Castellana
- Progetto Phoenix, Centre de Recherche sur le Patrimoine (CRP) 13 rue Victor Hugo, 06110 Le Cannet, France
| | - Raffaele Sasso
- ENEA, Casaccia Research Center, SSPT-BIOAG-SOQUAS Laboratory, Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 Rome, Italy
| | - Sergio Musmeci
- ENEA, Casaccia Research Center, SSPT-BIOAG-SOQUAS Laboratory, Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 Rome, Italy
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Belvedere S, Arnone S, Cristofaro M, La Marca A, De Biase A. Paternity Analyses for the Planning of SIT Projects against the Red Palm Weevil. INSECTS 2023; 14:326. [PMID: 37103141 PMCID: PMC10144754 DOI: 10.3390/insects14040326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Revised: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
The red palm weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus is an invasive pest from southeastern Asia and Melanesia that has spread widely across the Middle East and the Mediterranean Basin over the last 30 years. Its endophagous larvae cause huge amounts of damage to several palm tree species from the Arecaceae family. Many of these palms are economically important for agricultural and ornamental purposes. Therefore, a lot of attention has recently been focused on studying this species with the aim of identifying sustainable and effective eradication strategies. Sterile insect techniques are biological control strategies that are currently being investigated for their potential to eradicate this pest in selected invasion areas. Mating system features (e.g., polyandry and related features) can affect the success and suitability of these approaches. The main goal of this research was to assess the performance of a previously developed microsatellite panel in terms of the paternity assignment of progeny from laboratory mating experiments. Using a simulation approach, we evaluated the reliability of the microsatellite markers in the paternity tests both in complex laboratory experiment scenarios and on the progeny of wild-caught gravid females to help future studies on the RPW mating system. As a case study of the simulation results, we performed two double-mating experiments, genotyped the progeny and estimated the P2 values to compare to the expected progeny genotypes according to the crossing scheme of each experiment. The results of our simulations on laboratory experiments showed that it was possible to carry out paternity assignments for all progeny with reliable statistical confidence using our 13 microsatellites set. On the contrary the low genetic variability measured in red palm weevil populations in invaded areas made the resolution power of our loci too low to carry out paternity analyses on natural populations. Results of laboratory crossing were completely congruent with the expectations from the Mendelian laws.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Belvedere
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies “Charles Darwin”, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale dell’Università 32, 00185 Rome, Italy;
| | - Silvia Arnone
- ENEA C.R. Casaccia TERIN-BBC-BIC, Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 Rome, Italy;
| | - Massimo Cristofaro
- BBCA-Onlus, Via Angelo Signorelli 105, 00123 Rome, Italy; (M.C.); (A.L.M.)
| | | | - Alessio De Biase
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies “Charles Darwin”, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale dell’Università 32, 00185 Rome, Italy;
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Sabit H, Abdel-Ghany S, Al-Dhafar Z, Said OA, Ali Al-Saeed J, Ahmed Alfehaid Y, Aly Osman M. Molecular characterization and phylogenetic analysis of Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier) in Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia. Saudi J Biol Sci 2021; 28:5621-5630. [PMID: 34588873 PMCID: PMC8459039 DOI: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2021.05.078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2020] [Revised: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Red palm weevil (RPW) is the most aggressive date palm parasite in the Middle East, and especially in the Gulf region. Originated in Southeast Asia, this pest has been detected in the entire Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, Italy, Latin America, and other territories. It is important to local from obtrusive species, which help augmenting the pest control strategies. In the present study we collected 21 RPW samples from 21 different locations in the Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia to genetically characterize them using RAPD- and ISSR-based clustering. Unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA) for RAPD data categorized the 21 accessions into seven distinct groups, with Al-Oyonn and Juaymah each categorized in solitary group, meanwhile, UPGMA for ISSR indicated six different groups, with Battaliyah, Al-Oyoon, and Juaymah each assigned to a separate group. Combining RAPD and ISSR data revealed two accession; Al-Oyoon and Juaymah that might be considered obtrusive species. Based on distance calculations, we proposed that the potential origins of RPW collected from these locations are Iran and the United Arab Emirates. However, this assumption needs further studies for confirmation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hussein Sabit
- Department of Genetics, Institute for Research and Medical Consultations, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, P. O. Box 1982, Dammam 31441 Saudi Arabia
| | - Shaimaa Abdel-Ghany
- Department of Environmental Biotechnology, College of Biotechnology, Misr University for Science and Technology, P. O. Box 77, Giza, Egypt
| | - Zamzam Al-Dhafar
- Department of Biology, College of Science, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, P. O. Box 1982, Dammam 31441 Saudi Arabia
| | - Osama A Said
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, College of Biotechnology, Misr University for Science and Technology, P. O. Box 77, Giza, Egypt
| | - Jawad Ali Al-Saeed
- Center for Date Palm and Dates, Al-Qatif Branch, Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Saudi Arabia
| | - Yousef Ahmed Alfehaid
- Center for Date Palm and Dates, Al-Qatif Branch, Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohamed Aly Osman
- Department of Biology, College of Science, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, P. O. Box 1982, Dammam 31441 Saudi Arabia.,Basic and Applied Scientific Research Center, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam Saudi Arabia
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