No abstract

Baseline toxicity of neonicotinoid insecticides viz., thiamethoxam 25WG and sulfoxaflor 21.8SC was assessed in the field collected populations of the rice white backed planthopper Sogatella furcifera (Horvath). The major rice growing regions of Tamil Nadu when studied revealed that the field populations vary in their susceptibility. Coimbatore and Bhavani populations were more susceptible compared to the Nagapattinam one. Baseline toxicity of thiamethoxam 25WG was relatively high with narrow variation (LC50 - 0.3130 to 1.7882 ppm; LC95 - 1.0993 to 6.3840 ppm); LC50 of sulfoxaflor 21.8SC ranged from 1.3121 to 3.8392 ppm, while the LC95 values were 3.1507 to 5.2754 ppm. The resistance ratios varied among the populations viz., thiamethoxam 25WG (2.5 to 5.6 folds) and sulfoxaflor 21.8SC (1.8 to 2.9 folds). Thus, the population from Nagapattinam exhibited maximum resistance.