RADIATION INDUCED SEX CHROMOSOME LOSS AS AN INDICATOR OF THE OPTIMAL STAGE DURING SPERMATOGENESIS FOR THE INDUCTION OF COMPOUND CHROMOSOMES IN LUCILIA CUPRINA

Abstract

Radiation induced sex chromosome loss has been used to determine the optimal stage at which to irradiate developing male gonial cells in order to produce compound autosomes. In Lucilia it was found that the optimal stage for inducing sex chromosome loss was correlated with the stage at which the greatest number of radiation induced compound chromosomes was recovered. By analogy with Drosophila the data suggest that the 2 to 3 day old pupa is the earliest stage at which spermatocytes are produced in Lucilia. Using this method it should be possible to determine the optimal age at which to irradiate in order to produce compound chromosomes in other pest species where information relating spermatogenic development to age is limited.