Nuclear science for agriculture

Sterile Insect Technique (SIT)

Fruit fly invasions into areas free of the pest disrupts Australia's $600 million a year trade in citrus, stonefruit, pome fruit, grapes and other crops. ANSTO uses irradiation to control fruit fly infestations in Australia.

Since 1988, SIT irradiation has been used by NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) at ANSTO to sterilise millions of laboratory reared fruit flies per week. When the sterilised flies are released in the target region and mate with wild flies of the pest population, they create no offspring. Gradually, the population is reduced. SIT is the primary pest management program for containment and eradication of Queensland fruit fly (Q-fly) outbreaks and is the only alternative to spray applications of toxic pesticides when eradication is required.

ANSTO continues to irradiate these insects for the Tri-State SIT program (NSW, VIC and SA governments, industry and matching Commonwealth funds) on a weekly basis for up to nine months of the year, and at other times when research into improving SIT is being carried out by the DPI and others.

SIT is also used overseas. For example, the sterile insect technique was used to eradicate the medfly from Chile.
Irradiation

Irradiation is also used to create crop varieties that are more disease-resistant and grow better in poor soils; a massive benefit to countries across drought-prone Africa, where the poorest farmers try to survive on marginal lands.

Irradiation used as a post-harvest treatment for horticultural products also benefits the environment. It provides a safer alternative to methyl bromide, which the large majority of countries have agreed to phase out by 2010 due to its harmful impact on the ozone layer.

Protecting land and resources

Isotopes measure soil, water and nutrient storage, soil erosion and fertiliser and pesticide waste, enabling farmers to keep a closer track of their operations and use vital resources more sparingly and effectively. For example, nuclear techniques can detect excessive pesticide or veterinary drug residues in food, and monitor implementation of good agricultural and veterinary practices.

Increasing livestock production

Scientists use isotopes to study hormones and learn more about reproduction cycles, which help in areas such as the timing of artificial-insemination programs. For example, in Bangladesh, a joint FAO/IAEA (Food and Agriculture Programme of the United Nations/International Atomic Energy Agency) program has been investigating difficulties in breeding cattle and buffaloes, in an effort to increase reproduction levels.

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