Laboratory Studies to Sterilize the Boll Weevil with Radiation1

Abstract
Gamma radiation of 7200 R or less delivered to 12- or 36-hr-old eggs of the boll weevil, Anthononms grandis Boheman, failed to sterilize, but did decrease the longevity of ensuing adults. Doses of 800–24,250 R applied to 12- to 36-hr-old pupae failed to sterilize the adults at any dose low enough to permit adult survival for at least 10 days with sufficient vitality to copulate. A dose of 8000 R delivered to 12- to 36-hr-old adults reduced sperm fertility to about 18%; these adults lived for as long as 20 days and mated apparently normally for at least 10 days postirradiation. Multiple mating experiments indicated that the last mating of the female was the effective one, but only if it was with a normal male; otherwise, there was a competitive effect between the irradiated and nonirradiated sperm.

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