Facts about the Joint FAO/IAEA Programme
- General
- Q: 'Nuclear' in what sense?
- Animal Production and Health (APH)
- Q: Which nuclear techniques can be used in animal production research for enhancing livestock productivity?
- Q: Which molecular techniques can be used in animal production research for enhancing livestock productivity?
- » On Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)
- Plant Breeding and Genetics (PBG)
- Q: To which extent is radiation used in plant breeding today?
- Q: How do induced mutants compare to spontaneous mutants in crop improvement?
- Q: What's the role of marker-aided selection (MAS) in crop improvement in LIFDCs?
- Q: What are the current and future trends in Plant Breeding?
- Insect Pest Control (IPC)
- Q: Are Sterile Insects that have been Irradiated Radioactive?
- Q: Is the SIT a stand-alone technology?
- The SIT is not a stand-alone technology (IAEA 2000). Suppression, or in selected cases eradication of insect pest populations, by the release of sterile insects is often
dependent on supplementary methods of pest reduction to levels where the target pest population can be overflooded with sterile insects Mangan 2005). Thus to be effective the SIT has to
be combined with other complementary control tactics as part of an area-wide integrated pest management (AW-IPM) approach.
Population suppression activities take place in advance of, or coincide with, the release of sterile insects. Supplementary methods to remove breeding opportunities, or management methods
that prevent access of pests to the hosts, may also reduce the population or prevent damage. Compatible control methods, such as natural enemy augmentation and pheromone mating disruption,
can be synergistic when integrated with the SIT. Insecticides have also been used as baits, in traps, or on specific sites where the pest makes contact or reproduces.
As sterile insect release does not kill, pest insects with biting adults will continue to attack hosts after the release of sterile insects. In addition, wild females already mated with fertile males are
immune to the release of sterile males and will continue to produce viable offspring until they die. Thus at least initially the application of supplementary pest suppression programmes and quarantine
measures are essential even for low populations to prevent damage or the spread of disease.
For example the regional New World screwworm eradication programme in North and Central America included suppression measures, such as treating wounds with larvicides, mobilizing
ranchers to report cases of infestation, as well as quarantine activities. Fruit fly programmes integrate release of sterile flies integrate these with baits, lures, and cultural practices. The codling
moth programme in British Colombia, integrates twice-weekly sterile moth releases with chemical sprays coinciding with critical life-cycle stages, sex pheromone traps used for monitoring,
and mating disruption with sex pheromone.
IAEA. 2000. The Sterile Insect Technique. An environment-friendly method of insect pest suppression and eradication. Video produced by the Joint FAO/IAEA Division. Vienna, Austria.
Mangan, R. 2005. Population suppression in support of the Sterile Insect Technique. In V. A. Dyck, J. Hendrichs and A. S. Robinson (eds.), Sterile insect technique. Principles and practice in area-wide integrated
pest management. Springer, Heidelberg, Germany.
- Q: Is Eradication Necessary when Using the Sterile Insect Technique?
- Soil and Water Management & Crop Nutrition (SWMCN)
- Q: What isotopic and nuclear techniques are commonly used to study soil and water management and crop nutrition?
- Q: I would be interested in receiving training in the use of nuclear techniques to evaluate water management and crop nutrition. How should I proceed?
