The Mexican state of Colima is trying to avoid significant economic damage from an outbreak of the Mediterranean fruit fly, also called medfly. Responding to a request for support from the Mexican government, the IAEA, in cooperation with the Food and Agricultural Organization of the UN, has over the last 13 months assisted national plant protection authorities in Colima in bringing the outbreak towards an end.
Assistance has included developing and providing guidance for the execution of an emergency action plan using a nuclear technique which serves as a birth control for pests.
The implementation of the emergency action plan, supported through the IAEA´s technical cooperation program, employs the sterile insect technique (SIT) as the main tool to eradicate the outbreak. This insect population eradication approach relies on the release of sterilized male flies.
Irradiation with gamma rays was used to sterilize mass-reared medflies so that, while they remain sexually competitive, they cannot produce offspring, decreasing the population over time. The SIT is among the most environment-friendly insect pest control methods available and the IAEA supports countries, including Mexico, in reducing and eliminating medfly populations.
Source: iaea.org
Photo source: Dreamstime.com
