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475. . 1968. The potential role of sterility for pest control. In Principles 

 of Insect Chemosterillzation, G. C. La Brecque & C. N. Smith (ed.). 

 Appleton-Century Crafts. New York. pp. 7-AO. 

 The sterility techniques for controlling insects and other pests are receiving 

 the attention of an increasing number of research scientists. The techniques 

 involved permit the application of certain principles of population suppression 

 that could lead to more efficient or more desirable solutions to many important 

 insect problems. Certain sterility procedures should prove equally useful for 

 meeting many vertebrate pest problems. The extent to which the sterility 

 techniques will be employed for regulating pest populations will be contingent 

 on the degree of progress that is made in several fields of research. It will 

 be necessary to develop safe chemical sterilants or other ways of achieving the 

 appropriate type of sterility. Application of the techniques will require a 

 good understanding of the biology, behavior, ecology, and population dynamics 

 of the pests involved. If sterility involves the natural population, practical 

 ways of achieving the necessary level of sterility must be perfected. If the 

 sterility technique involves the release of reared insects, such insects must 

 be mass produced at a reasonable cost. Up to the present time, two methods of 

 producing sterility have been investigated most extensively. One methods in- 

 volves the exposure of the organism to X-rays or gamma rays from Cobalt 60 

 isotopes (Bushland and Hopkins, 1951, 1953). The other involves the use of 

 chemicals that produce sterility. These methods cause dominant lethal effects 

 in the genetic material. Sterility can also be achieved by crossing species 

 or races of insects. In this chapter we will not be concerned with the merits 

 or limitations of various ways to induce sterility. We are concerned here 

 with the fundamentals of population suppression by the use of the sterility 

 techniques, irrespective of the methods used to produce sterility in the organism. 

 A full understanding of the fundamental principles involved in the suppression 



