Insecticide resistance and control failure likelihood of the whitefly Bemisia tabaci (MEAM1; B biotype): a Neotropical scenario

Abstract

Insecticide resistance is a standing concern for arthropod pest species, which may result in insecticide control failure. Nonetheless, while insecticide resistance has remained a focus of attention for decades, the incurring risk of insecticide control failure has been neglected. The recognition of both problems is paramount for arthropod pest management and particularly so when invasive species notoriously difficult to control and exhibiting frequent cases of insecticide resistance are considered. Such is the case of the putative whitefly species Middle East-Asia Minor I (MEAM1) (Bemisia tabaci B-biotype), for which little information is available in the Neotropics. Thus, the likely occurrence and levels of resistance to seven insecticides were surveyed among Brazilian populations of this species. The likelihood of control failure to the five insecticides registered for this species was also determined. Resistance was detected to all insecticides assessed reaching instances of high (i.e. >100×) to very high levels (>1000×) in all of them. Overall efficacy was particularly low (<60%) and the control failure likelihood was high (>25%) and frequent (70%) for the bioinsecticide azadirachtin, followed by spiromesifen and lambda-cyhalothrin. In contrast, the likelihood of control failure was low for diafenthiuron, and mainly imidacloprid. As cartap and chlorantraniliprole are not used against whiteflies, but are frequently applied on the same host plants, inadvertent selection probably took place leading to high levels of resistance, particularly for the latter. The resistance levels of cartap and chlorantraniliprole correlated with imidacloprid resistance (r > 0.65, P < 0.001), suggesting that the latter use may have somewhat favoured inadvertent selection for resistance to both compounds not used against the whitefly. A further concern is that chlorantraniliprole use in the reported scenario may allow cross selection to cyantraniliprole, a related diamide with recent registration against whiteflies demanding attention in designing resistance management programmes.

An Ecological Assessment of Isaria fumosorosea Applications Compared to a Neonicotinoid Treatment for Regulating Invasive Ficus Whitefly

“…Although when applied appropriately, systemic insecticides in the neonicotinoid class can provide sufficient control of whitefly for 9–12 months; however, use of chemical insecticides cannot be ultimately considered a sustainable management approach for any pest. Risks of chemical insecticide use in urban landscape areas may include: (1) insecticide drift from foliar sprays [8], (2) leaching and runoff of insecticides into the water sources or drainage systems [9], (3) possibility of insecticide resistance development in the whitefly population due to prolonged use of the same chemical group [10,11], and (4) the negative impact on the non-target organisms, e.g. humans, domestic animals, natural enemies and pollinators [8,12,13].…”

Prospects for management of whitefly using plant semiochemicals, compared with related pests

“…Whiteflies (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Aleyrodidae), including the tobacco whitefly, Bemisia tabaci, and the greenhouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum , are common agricultural pests that damage a wide range of economically important crop plants, such as tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum ), cucumber ( Cucumis sativus ) and watermelon ( Citrullus lanatus ), particularly by acting as vectors of devastating plant viruses . Management of whitefly populations relies predominantly on the deployment of broad‐spectrum synthetic insecticides, but because of rapid evolution in insecticide resistance, new interventions are urgently needed. Semiochemical‐based approaches are considered environmentally benign alternatives to the use of insecticides because semiochemicals act only as signals and are not toxic at the levels deployed.…”

Trade‐off and adaptive cost in a multiple‐resistant strain of the invasive potato tuber moth Tecia solanivora

“…Interestingly, carbofuran is not used in targeting the tuber moth, but it is used in two to three applications per crop cycle against the Andean potato weevil Premnotrypes vorax species that co‐occurs in potato crops. Therefore, the relatively high levels of carbofuran resistance observed in the tuber moth are the result of inadvertent selection, as also reported among maize weevils and whiteflies . Regardless, such inadvertent selection is a pest management concern, and particularly so among pests of vegetable crops (e.g.…”

“…Therefore, the relatively high levels of carbofuran resistance observed in the tuber moth are the result of inadvertent selection, as also reported among maize weevils and whiteflies. 41,42 Regardless, such inadvertent selection is a pest management concern, 43,44 and particularly so among pests of vegetable crops (e.g. Biondi et al 45 ).…”