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Member Symposium

Plant-Insect Ecosystems

Medical, Urban, and Veterinary Entomology

The Sterile Insect Technique: Innovations, Challenges, and Future Directions

The use of x-ray irradiation as a tool for Lygus hesperus sterilization

Tuesday, November 11, 2025
5:04 PM - 5:22 PM Pacific
Location: Oregon Convention Center, D136, OCC
Oral Presentation
The western tarnished plant bug, Lygus hesperus, is an important pest of cotton, strawberries and alfalfa. As piercing-sucking feeders they cause damage to leaf buds and reproductive plant parts such as flowers, seeds and fruits. Currently, pest management for this species is achieved mainly through chemical control, highlighting the need for alternative methods. A possible alternative to keep Lygus populations under the economic threshold is the use of sterile insects. To test the efficacy of x-ray irradiation on L. hesperus sterilization, a range of x-ray doses was delivered to newly emerged adults (< 24h) of each sex. The insects were then evaluated for gonadal tissue development, mating success, fecundity, fertility, and longevity. Preliminary results showed good survivorship post-treatment with significant effects on testis size, sperm abundance, ovarian development, and sterilization of both sexes. Taken together these results indicate that x-ray irradiation could potentially be harnessed for suppression-based Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) management of L. hesperus populations.