Research advancements on the application of sterile insect technique for the control of lepidopteran pests over the past two decades: A Systematic Review

Many lepidopterans’ species, such as fruit borer ( Helicoverpa armigera ) on tomato, apple moth Cydia pomonella (codling moth), and orange moth Thaumatotibia leucotreta (false codling moth), are among many lepidopterans that are crop pests. In the early 1930s, the concept of the sterile insect technique was conceived in response to the global threat of insect pests and the excessive use of insecticides, which were proven to pose a health risk to humans. This pest control tactic has gained and is currently gaining more traction in all regions where it is implemented on both small and large scales. This systematic review looks at the recent research advances in the application of sterile insect techniques for the control of lepidopteran pests. The paper analyses publications, focusing on the geographic distribution of studies, target species, irradiation source, and the year of publication. It highlights the growing interest in SIT as an environmentally friendly pest management strategy compared to insecticide use. The paper compiles and summarises information over the last two decades on the lepidopteran species studied, the study approach, the country where the study was performed, the source of irradiation, and the year of publication. It also analysed the suitability of each lepidopteran species as an SIT candidate and the effectiveness of this control strategy. The review resulted in 2 537, from which 24 publications matched the search criteria. From the results, 14 species were identified, and the most studied lepidopteran was T. leucotreta . The review discusses the effectiveness of SIT in controlling various lepidopteran species and explores the potential for further development and implementation of SIT programmes globally.