Sperm Production in Normal vs. Sterile Boll Weevils

Newly emerged normal males of Anthonomus grandis Boheman contained only 4000 (mean) sperm. Sperm production rapidly increased, reaching a fairly constant rate of ca. 1.38 million sperm/day after 6 to 7 days. All gamma sterilization treatments drastically reduced sperm production. Males treated as adults with average fractionated dose of 6800 rad produced 2.66 million sperm during their life time. Weevils treated with fractionated doses of 4000 rad combined with adult feeding on 0.2 percent hempa diet, and males treated as pupae with average fractionated doses of 5850 rad produced ca. /sup 3///sub 4/ and /sup 1///sub 5/ as many sperm as males irradiated as adults with average fractionated doses of 6800 rad, respectively. Males irradiated as pupae with a fractionated dose of 6300 rad inseminated ca. /sup 1///sub 2/ as many females as males that received the same treatment as adults. When treated males were held without females for 3 days or more, they inseminated only ca. /sup 1///sub 2/ as many females as males that were provided females immediately after treatment.