A Genetic Survey of Pyrethroid Insecticide Resistance in Aphids in New Brunswick, Canada, with Particular Emphasis on Aphids as Vectors of Potato virus Y

Abstract

Aphids are viral vectors in potatoes, most importantly of Potato virus Y (PVY), and insecticides are frequently used to reduce viral spread during the crop season. Aphids collected from the potato belt of New Brunswick, Canada, in 2015 and 2016 were surveyed for known and novel mutations in the Na-channel (para) gene, coding for the target of synthetic pyrethroid insecticides. Specific genetic mutations known to confer resistance (kdr and skdr) were found in great abundance in Myzus persicae (Sulzer) (Hemiptera: Aphididae), which rose from 76% in 2015 to 96% in 2016. Aphids other than M. persicae showed lower frequency of resistance. In 2015, 3% of individuals contained the resistance mutation skdr, rising to 13% in 2016 (of 45 species). Several novel resistance mutations or mutations not before reported in aphids were identified in this gene target. One of these mutations, I936V, is known to confer pyrethroid resistance in another unrelated insect, and three others occur immediately adjacent and prompt similar chemical shifts in the primary protein structure, to previously characterized mutations associated with pyrethroid resistance. Most novel mutations were found in species other than M. persicae or others currently tracked individually by the provincial aphid monitoring program, which were determined by cytochrome C oxidase I (cox1) sequencing. Through our cox1 DNA barcoding survey, at least 45 species of aphids were discovered in NB potato fields in 2015 and 2016, many of which are known carriers of PVY.

Evidence of enhanced reproductive performance and lack‐of‐fitness costs among soybean aphids, Aphis glycines, with varying levels of pyrethroid resistance

“…Super‐kdr genotypes (L1014F + M918I) were associated with the highest levels of pyrethroid resistance among field‐collected Aphis glycines , 29,30 similar to that reported for M. persicae 31 . The L925F (leucine‐to‐phenylalanine) mutation has been found in several aphid species 32 and the L925M + L1014F and M918L + L1014F genotypes also are associated with resistant A. glycines individuals 29…”

Mutations associated with pyrethroid resistance in Varroa mite, a parasite of honey bees, are widespread across the United States

“…Surveys to monitor mutations associated with resistance have resulted in increased management success of pest species like mosquitoes, aphids, beetles and ticks. [61][62][63][64][65][66] These efforts take advantage of the several methodologies currently available for detecting resistant alleles in arthropod pests. 46,54,61,67,68 In the case of V. destructor, we have previously designed and tested a high throughput allelic discrimination assay based on TaqMan®.…”

The PacBio Full-Length Transcriptome of the Tea Aphid as a Reference Resource

“…This pest has high fecundity and reproduces quickly in large numbers, making it difficult to control in tea and citrus orchards (Wang and Tsai, 2001). Similar to other aphid vectors transmitting plant virus diseases (Pinheiro et al, 2017;MacKenzie et al, 2018), A. aurantii also transmits viruses, resulting in reduced production due to smaller trees and fruits (Rao and Capoor, 1976;Allan, 1980). Moreover, A. aurantii secretes honeydew on which sooty molds frequently grow, decreasing photosynthetic activity (Piron et al, 2019).…”