Skip to main content
Entomology 2025 Main banner
Icon Legend
This session is not in your schedule.
This session is in your schedule. Click again to remove it.
 
Oral Presentation
Oral Presentation
Poster Display
Poster Display
Student Competition
Student Competition
Ticketed Event
Ticketed Event

Member Symposium

Plant-Insect Ecosystems

Medical, Urban, and Veterinary Entomology

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

Advancing codling moth SIT: Precision sterilization using a modular x-ray system

Tuesday, November 11, 2025
4:00 PM - 4:18 PM Pacific
Location: Oregon Convention Center, D136, OCC
Oral Presentation
The Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) has long relied on gamma irradiation, a powerful but highly regulated and infrastructure-intensive method of insect sterilization. Recent advancements in X-ray technology offer a promising alternative, especially for small-scale or decentralized programs. We present data from a series of trials using a modular X-ray system to sterilize Cydia pomonella (codling moth), a major pest of pome fruits. Our compact, mobile system was evaluated for its ability to induce sterility in F0 moths and to observe downstream effects on F1 development. While complete sterility was not observed in F1 individuals, a high proportion of deformities and reduced fitness indicate significant transgenerational effects. These findings suggest the potential for cumulative impacts on population growth when applied in the field.

This work underscores the feasibility of using modular X-ray units as a flexible, scalable alternative to gamma sources. Importantly, the adaptability of such systems opens the door to more localized or niche applications of SIT, reducing regulatory and logistical barriers. As SIT expands to new pest targets and production systems, innovations like modular X-ray platforms are critical for ensuring accessibility and adaptability. Our results highlight not only technical efficacy but also the importance of cross-sector collaboration, from academic development to industry and field application, in advancing pest control tools that are both effective and practical.