Optimal Control Approach for Implementation of Sterile Insect Techniques

TL;DR

This paper develops an optimal control framework for planning sterile insect release programs to efficiently eliminate wild populations without real-time monitoring, minimizing the number of sterile insects needed.

Contribution

It introduces a novel optimal control approach for designing both continuous and impulsive sterile insect release strategies for effective pest management.

Findings

Optimal control solutions for continuous release programs.

Impulsive release strategies derived from the continuous models.

Reduction in total sterile insects needed for population elimination.

Abstract

Vector or pest control is essential to reduce the risk of vector-borne diseases or crop losses. Among the available biological control tools, the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) is one of the most promising. However, SIT-control campaigns must be carefully planned in advance in order to render desirable outcomes. In this paper, we design SIT-control intervention programs that can avoid the real-time monitoring of the wild population and require to mass-rear a minimal overall number of sterile insects, in order to induce a local elimination of the wild population in the shortest time. Continuous-time release programs are obtained by applying an optimal control approach, and then laying the groundwork of more practical SIT-control programs consisting of periodic impulsive releases.