Insecticide resistance status of Bemisia tabaci MEAM1 (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) in Australian cotton production valleys

Abstract

The whitefly Bemisia tabaci Middle East‐Asia Minor 1 (MEAM1), previously known as B biotype, is a major agricultural pest with a reputation for developing resistance to insecticides. DNA‐based identification revealed that B. tabaci MEAM1 is the dominant species within Australian cotton cropping. Discriminating doses of 10 mg/L for pyriproxyfen and 300 mg/L for both diafenthiuron and bifenthrin were determined from bioassay data collected in 2010–2015. Resistance to these insecticides was tested in whitefly populations collected in 2017 from cotton crops in Queensland and New South Wales. This study reports on the presence of pyriproxyfen resistance in B. tabaci MEAM1 at seven locations in Queensland and New South Wales. One population from Goondiwindi was resistant to bifenthrin, whereas no populations tested had resistance to diafenthiuron. To determine the presence of resistance alleles to organophosphates and pyrethroids, reference populations of susceptible and resistant whiteflies (pyriproxyfen, bifenthrin and neonicotinoid) were tested. The resistance mutation L925I was found in a pyrethroid‐resistant population and in some individuals from the pyriproxyfen‐resistant population. The mutation F331W that confers organophosphate and carbamate resistance was found in all individuals tested including the susceptible reference population, indicative of a widespread distribution in Australian B. tabaci MEAM1. The cotton industry has revised the insecticide resistance management strategy for B. tabaci, to restrict the usage of pyriproxyfen to a single application within a 30‐day window. Our results argue against the use of organophosphate and carbamate insecticides in Australian cotton, because B. tabaci MEAM1 populations show significant resistance levels. Furthermore, both pesticide groups are highly disruptive to a diverse range of natural enemy populations, and as such, widespread use likely contributes to pest outbreaks.

On species delimitation, hybridization and population structure of cassava whitefly in Africa

“…While the vector responsible for the spread of the CMD in South-East Asia is not well-understood, the pandemic in east and central Africa was associated with the distribution of sub-Saharan African (SSA) species of the Bemisia whitefly complex 13 . Invasive whitefly species such as the Mediterranean (MED), Middle East-Asia Minor 1 (MEAM1), and SSA2, have become pests of global agriculture, spreading plant viral diseases and becoming resistant to chemical control agents 18 , 19 . In particular, the endemic African cassava Bemisia whitefly SSA2 species occupies regions affected by the CMD pandemic.…”

Current scenario of RNAi‐based hemipteran control

“…Numerous studies have shown a trend of increasing insect resistance against conventional chemical insecticides 51,52 . Presently, no studies have been published regarding the evolution of resistance in hemipteran pests toward RNAi; however, evolution of resistance to dsRNA in the coleopteran insect, Western corn rootworm, D. virgifera virgifera , recently has been shown experimentally 53 …”

Isolation, purification and identification of biological compounds from Beauveria sp. and their evaluation as insecticidal effectiveness against Bemisia tabaci

“…Both nymphs and adults can also secrete honeydew, which can induce coal pollution. Besides B biotype (MEAM1) is the dominant species which signi cantly threatened many agricultural commodities in numerous countries [4][5][6] . Moreover, for the excessive use of synthetic pesticides have contributed to resistance development of B. tabaci.…”

“…39 (d, J = 9.3 Hz, 1H, NH), 5.59 (m, 1H, H-5), 5.50 (d, J = 5.2 Hz, 1H, OH-2'), 5.40 (dd, J = 15.4, 6.8 Hz, 1H, H-4), 5.09 (d, J = 6.6 Hz, 1H, H-8) , 4.96 (d, J = 4.1 Hz, 1H, OH-3), 4.93 (d, J = 5.5 Hz, 1H, OH-3''),4.90 (dd, J = 7.9, 5.0 Hz, 2H, OH-2'' , OH-4''),4.51 (t, J = 5.9 Hz, 1H, OH-6''), 4.12 (d, J = 7.8 Hz, 1H, H-1''), 3.99 (dd, J = 12.9, 6.6 Hz, 1H, H-1), 3.92 (dd, J = 10.4, 5.8 Hz, 1H, H-3), 3.81 (m, 2H, H-2, H-2'), 3.66 (dd, J = 10.0, 6.1 Hz, 1H, H-6''), 3.52 (dd, J = 10.3, 3.7 Hz, 1H, H-1), 3.43 (dt, J = 11.7, 5.9 Hz, 1H, H-6''),3.13 (td, J = 8.8, 4.8 Hz, 1H, H-3''), 3.08 (d, J = 5.8 Hz, 1H, H-5''), 3.04 (dd, J = 8.8, 5.2 Hz, H, H-4'') , 2.95 (td, J = 8.4, 4.2 Hz, 1H, H-2''), 1.98 (m, 4H, H-6, H-7), 1.92 (t, J = 7.5 Hz, 2H, H-10), 1.55 (d, J = 14.5 Hz, 3H, Me-9), 1.47 -1.14 (overlap, m, 40H, CH 2 -11~17, CH 2 -3'~15') , 0.86 (s, m, 6H, Me-18, Me-16'). 13 C NMR (151 MHz, DMSO) δ 174.14 (C-1'), 135.26 (C-9), 131.47 (C-5), 131.39 (C-4), 123.86 (C-8), 103.89 (C-1''), 77.28 (C-5''), 76.93 (C-3''), 73.78 (C-2''), 71.41 (C-2'), 70.93 (C-1), 70.39 (C-4''), 69.11 (C-3), 61.44 (C-6''), 53.22 (C-2), 39.43 (C-10) 34.86 (C-3'), 32.54 (C-6), 31.69 -29.07 (overlap, C-12~16, C-5'~14'), 27.75 (C-7), 27.62 (C-11), 24.92 (C-4'), 22.49 (C-15'), 16.09 (C-19), 14.31 (overlap, C-18, C-16').…”