Effects of pairing unirradiated females with irradiated and unirradiated males of the Oriental fruitfly (Dacus dorsalis Hendel)

The study was conducted to determine the hatchability of eggs laid by unirradiated females mated with unirradiated or irradiated males. The effect of irradiation with 5 krad was very evident in the non-hatching of eggs (0%) from females mated with irradiated males confined together for the duration of the experiment. No apparent decrease in fertility of irradiation males crossed with unirradiated females was observed, although it was found that hatchability was slightly higher (25.30%) than in series A (20.83%). With regard to increase in hatchability of eggs in series B (25.30%) which was compared with series A, the results indicated that some of the sperm from the previous mating with unirradiated males may have been stored in their spermatheca, and these sperms contributed to a higher per cent hatchability of eggs in series B