Application of gamma radiation to control different life stages of red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum (Herbst)

Ahmadi, Mehrdad; Zolfaghariyeh, Hamidreza

Application of gamma radiation to control different life stages of red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum (Herbst)

Authors

Mehrdad Ahmadi

Hamidreza Zolfaghariyeh

Abstract

Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) is a very harmful pest of stored products, which causes qualitative and quantitative damage. Application of gamma radiation is an appropriate strategy to control this pest. In this study, the effect of different doses of gamma radiation on the egg, larvae and adults stages of T. castaneum until all of the pests were amnihilated, is evaluated. The experiment was conducted at 27±1◦C, 60±5% R.H. in dark. The egg, larvae and adults were irradiated by 100-500 Gy of gamma radiation. In these experiments, compared with the previous studies, lower doses were used in a long time period. Mortality of different stages of T. castaneum was assessed 24 hours after the irradiation and continued until the death of the last sample. The results showed that the most sensitive stage was egg, with 100% mortality by 50 Gy. The second stage of the sensitivity was the larvae, with the compelete death by 500 Gy after 12 days. Adults, compared with other life stages, showed relative resistance so that only 13.33% mortality was occurred at 100 Gy after 16 days. It was concluded that use of gamma radiation could be an appropriate method to control the population of T. castaneum in the stored products.

Keywords

Gamma radiation

Tribolium castaneum

Stored products pest

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