Genetic Profile of Gamma Irradiated Locusta migratoria migratorioides: A Futuristic Eco-friendly Control Approach

Ali, H.M., Z. Fathy, S.S. Ibrahim and R.M. Sayed. 2024. Genetic Profile of Gamma Irradiated Locusta migratoria migratorioides: A Futuristic Eco-friendly Control Approach. Arab Journal of Plant Protection, 42(1): 75-81. https://doi.org/10.22268/AJPP-001212 Locusta migratoria migratorioides (L.) is the most common species of grasshopper in Africa, and it causes severe crop losses worldwide. The L. migratoria species developed resistance to insecticides because of overuse, which also polluted the environment. The purpose of the current study is to assess the effectiveness of gamma radiation to control this pest and to estimate the DNA alterations caused by radiation exposure to both male (♂) and female (♀) insects. Pest mortality rate of male and female adults were measured following exposure to radiation doses of 10, 20, 30, and 40 Gy, and Start codon targeted polymorphism (SCoT-PCR) analysis was carried out. The results obtained revealed that the mortality rate increased significantly with increasing gamma radiation dose and males were more tolerant than females with LD50 of 33.94 and 51.55 Gy, for males and females, respectively. According to the SCoT assay, the adults' irradiation resulted in genomic alterations as witnessed by the the disappearance of some bands and the appearance of new additional bands, with slight differences between males and females. It can be concluded that the utilization of radiation technology could be a potential approach for the control of L. migratoria migratorioides after further field studies. Keywords: African migratory Locust, Gamma radiation, Mortality, DNA, SCoT-PCR.