The present study deals with the change in elemental composition of potato tuber moth, Phthorimaea operculella Zeller fed on irradiated potato tubers with different doses of gamma radiation. A Perkin-Elmer AnalystTM 330 atomic absorption spectrophotometer was used to measure the quantity of eleven elements in both potato tubers and adult insects (males and females) that emerged from larvae fed on non-irradiated and irradiated potato tubers. Males seem to be more affected when fed on irradiated potato tubers than females. Fe, Mn, Ca, Al and Si were significantly increased in both potato tubers and males with higher doses of radiation. Mn was the only element that significantly increased in females. Mg, Na, Zn and P were significantly decreased in both males and females as well as in irradiated potatoes. Surprisingly K increased significantly in irradiated potatoes but decreased in both females and males. The significant changes in other elements were not related to potato tubers radiation dose.
mona.mansour@fsc.bu.edu.eg