Egg Sterilisation of Irradiated Nezara viridula (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae)

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Certain stink bugs are emerging as a serious threat to food production globally, as they invade new areas and feed on a wide range of crops. The control of these pests relies primarily on potentially harmful pesticides, but the increasing threat posed by stink bug pests has sparked investigation into environmentally-friendly methods that do not exert serious impacts on other species. One method receiving attention is the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), which involves sterilising large numbers of a pest, through radiation exposure, and releasing them into the wild pest population where mating results in unfertilised eggs that do not hatch. In support of recent studies on SIT for the brown marmorated stink bug, we aimed to ascertain the feasibility of the method for another stink bug pest, the green vegetable bug. We exposed the insects to increasing levels of radiation and allowed mating to occur. Virtually all of the resulting eggs were sterile and did not hatch at the higher radiation doses tested. These results could be used to inform the potential development of SIT against stink bug pests, and in some circumstances, could form the basis of potential eradication programmes against new invasions. ABSTRACT: Nezara viridula Linnaeus (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is a polyphagous pest of a wide range of economically important crops. Because the control of this species and other pentatomids relies primarily on insecticide application, investigation into the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) is warranted. We aimed to investigate the irradiation biology of N. viridula for the potential application of SIT against this pest. Male and female N. viridula were gamma-irradiated at doses between 4 and 28 Gy and mated with both irradiated and nonirradiated conspecifics. Sterility of the resulting eggs followed a dose-response in each case. Irradiated males crossed with untreated females showed higher F(1) egg sterility than crosses where the female was irradiated. The greatest F(1) egg sterility was observed when both parents were irradiated. There was no obvious dose-response for the longevity of irradiated males, and for the fecundity of nonirradiated females mated with irradiated males. The fecundity of irradiated females appeared to decrease with irradiation dose. These results can be applied to a potential future application of SIT against N. viridula, but predominantly supports the ongoing development of SIT for Halyomorpha halys Stål (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) and hemipteran pests in general.