Evaluation of the Toxicity of Chemical and Biogenic Insecticides to Three Outbreaking Insects in Desert Steppes of Northern China

Abstract

The locusts Oedales asiaticus (Bey-Bienko) and Myrmeleotettix palpalis (Zubovski) (Orthoptera Acrididae) and the leaf beetle Galeruca daurica (Joannis) (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) are economically devastating insect species in the desert steppes of Northern China. Control is mainly and frequently dependent on highly toxic chemicals. To date, there have been no complete and comprehensive reports of insecticide applications to these key pests. In this study, laboratory bioassays were carried out to determine and compare the toxicity of twelve insecticides to three outbreaking insects, O. asiaticus, M. palpalis, and G. daurica, from three typical desert steppe regions, SZWQ, XHQ and WLTQQ, respectively. The responses of the two locust species and the leaf beetle were evaluated by topical application and leaf dip bioassay techniques across a range of concentrations to develop dosage–mortality regressions. The insecticides tested included six chemical insecticides (β-cypermethrin, imidacloprid, phoxim, λ-cyhalothrin, methomyl, chlorantraniliprole) and six biogenic insecticides (spinosad, avermectin, rotenone, matrine, azadiracthin, and methoxyfenozide). The results showed that phoxim, λ-cyhalothrin, β-cypermethrin and spinosad showed highly toxic activity to O.asiaticus, M. palpalis, and G. daurica, while methonyl, chlorantraniliprole, and rotenone were moderately toxic to both locust species and the leaf beetle. The LC50 values of matrine, azadiractin, and avermectin were more than 1 μg a.i./adult for O. asiaticus and M. palpalis, the LC50 values of which were higher 2 g/L for G. daurica. Our findings complement information from previous similar studies and will inform future studies relating to the control of outbreaking insects, such as O.asiaticus, M. palpalis, and G. daurica in desert steppes of northern China. This study is also expected to provide basic data on the use of chemical and biogenic insecticides for application in desert steppes.

Evaluation of the insecticidal toxicity of various pesticides for Atractomorpha lata (Orthoptera: Pyrgomorphidae) control

“…Chemical insecticides are more effective than biogenic insecticides against Oedaleus asiaticus (Acrididae), and pyrethroids and organophosphates are more effective than other insecticides because they have high solubility, so epidermal penetration and diffusion in the tissue are enhanced when topical application is performed (Jesser et al 2020; Zhang et al 2019). However, reports of pyrethroid resistance in O. asiaticus are increasing, recommending rotation treatment of insecticides with different modes of action (Dong et al 2016; Silva et al 2014; Zhang et al 2022). In this study, fenitrothion (organophosphate) and tetraniliprole (diamide) resulted in very high mortality of both nymphs and adults of A. lata , but pyrethroids exhibited no insecticidal toxicity against A. lata .…”

Detection of ryanodine receptor G4911E and I4754M mutation sites and analysis of binding modes of diamide insecticides with RyR on Galeruca daurica (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

“…Bioassays were conducted using a leaf-dip method based on methods of He et al (2012) and Zhang et al (2022) with minor modifications. 95% chlorantraniliprole (DuPont) was dissolved in acetone solution, and then diluted into five to six concentrations with distilled water containing .05% Triton X-100 at a triple gradient dose.…”

“…The application of traditional chemical insecticides to control outbreaking pests in desert steppes has the advantages of a good insecticidal effect with rapid results, especially organophosphorus, pyrethroids, chloronicotinyl insecticide ( Dong et al, 2016 ; Gao et al, 2022 ). Currently, the management of G. daurica is dependent on above-mentioned insecticides ( Chang et al, 2015 ; Zhang et al, 2022 ). Besides, plant-derived insecticides have been reported to provide good protection against the key pest G. daurica , such as: neem, matrine and nicotine analogues ( Chang et al, 2015 ; Du et al, 2016 ).…”

“…In recent years, the chemical insecticides with novel action, high efficiency, high selectivity, low toxicity and low residue are being chosen to control this outbreaking insect in desert steppe. Among them, chlorantraniliprole has been reported to have strong insecticidal activity against the G. daurica and recommended for pest management ( Zhang et al, 2022 ).…”

Sublethal effects of chlorantraniliprole on biological characteristics, detoxifying enzyme activity and gene expression profile in the Allium mongolicum Regel leaf beetle Galeruca daurica (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

“…LC 15 , LC 30 , LC 50 estimate Bioassays were conducted using a leaf-dip method as slightly adapted from the methods of He et al (2012) and Zhang et al (2022) with minor modifications. 95% chlorantraniliprole (DuPont) was dissolved in an acetone solution, and then diluted into six concentrations with distilled water containing 0.05% Triton X-100 at a triple gradient dose.…”