Effects of Irradiation on Reproduction in Tarnished Plant Bug (Heteroptera: Miridae) and F1 Progeny

Abstract

Tarnished plant bugs, Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois), were administered dosages of 0, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 40 krad of gamma-radiation from a 137Cs source (10 krad = 100 Gy). Reductions in egg hatch and egg-to-adult survival in both irradiated parents and their F1 progeny tended to be inversely proportional to dosage received. Hatch of eggs from untreated parents averaged 58.9% and fell to 4.6% when males were treated with 40 krad. Egg-to-adult survival was more severely curtailed than egg hatch, averaging 36.0% for untreated groups and 0% for 40 krad groups. F1 progeny exhibited greater reductions in egg hatch and egg-to-adult survival than their treated parents. Eggs from untreated females mated with F1 male progeny averaged 58.9% hatch for the untreated control compared with 18.5% for the 10 krad group and 0.9% for the 20 krad group. Egg-to-adult survival in the untreated control averaged 38.4% compared with 5.4% for the 10 krad group and 0.1% for the 20 krad group. F1 females were more susceptible to the effects of irradiation than F1 males. Mortality in the 5 and 10 krad groups was similar to the untreated control, but fell abruptly at 15 krad and again at 40 krad.