THE EFFECT OF GINGER OIL ON THE SEXUAL PERFORMANCE OF ANASTREPHA MALES (DIPTERA: TEPHRITIDAE)

Aromatherapy treatment using ginger oil has been shown to be effective in increasing the sexual competitiveness of males of the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratits capitata (Wiedemann) and can partially remedy the detrimental effects associated with the mass-rearing and irradiation processes that are used in Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) programs. In this study, we evaluated the effect of ginger oil treatment on the sexual performance of males of 3 Anastrepha fruit fly species of economic importance (A. ludens (Loew), A. obliqua (Macquart), and A. serpentina (Wiedemann)) when they were at 6, 9, and 12 d old. The experiments were carried out under semi-natural conditions, and the number and duration of copulations achieved by each type of male were determined. Our results indicate that the male response to ginger oil exposure was different for each of the evaluated species. For A. ludens, we observed a detrimental effect on the number of copulations obtained by 6 d-old males but not by 9 or 12 d-old males. For A. obliqua, treatment with ginger oil did not significantly affect the evaluated parameters at any age. For treated A. serpentina males, 9 and 12 d-old males showed greater sexual performance when compared to untreated males. Copula duration was not affected by ginger oil treatment in any of the species. We determined that aromatherapy using ginger oil does not have the same beneficial effect in A. ludens and A. obliqua as it does in C. capitata, but in A. serpentina, the use of this product offers a great potential and might render important benefits in SIT applications.