Why can cobalt-60 can be used to infertile fruit flies in the farm...3 marks
Answers
Cobalt-60 includes gamma rays and these rays are found to be effective on reducing the sperm competitiveness and fecundity. The effect on sperms by gamma rays makes the sperm of the fruit flies infertile and ineffective.
The use of Cobalt-60 is a common method used by practitioners in order to control the population of fruit flies in orchards and farms.
Answer:
Cobalt-60 (60Co) is a radioactive isotope of cobalt, and shows a half-life of 5.2713 years. It is commonly used in many insect pest management schemes.
It emits gamma rays which induces sexual sterility in the male fruit flies. When the sterile males are released in the environment, they mate with the females, but no eggs can be produced.
This significantly decreased the population of the fruit flies in the farms.