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Discriminating Dose Technique for Monitoring Insecticide Resistance in India

R. Ayyasamy and A.. Regupathy
Department of Agricultural Entomology
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University
Coimbatore- 641003

INTRODUCTION More than 75 per cent of the insecticides used in cotton are being targeted towards H. armigera. Of which, synthetic pyrethroids constitute 50 to 70 per cent. In India, farmers even apply 36 to 40 rounds of pesticides to the cotton crop of a duration of 150-180 days in a single season i.e., one spray for every five days (Banerjee et al., 2000).

Sucking pests at times reduces the crop yield to the extent of 21.2Among the sap feeders aphid, Aphis gossypii Glover, leaf hopper, Amrasca devastans Distant, whitefly, Bemisia tabaci Gennadius and thrips, Thrips tabaci Lind. are important. Cotton growers in India depend heavily on synthetic pesticides to combat these sucking pests; at least 2-3 sprays are directed against sucking pests (Nagia et al., 1989; Lingappa et al., 2001; Anonymous, 1999).

Rice leaffolders generally considered once as pests of minor nature have increased in abundance and have assumed second pest status next to brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens (Stal.). The loss estimation indicated as high as 75 per cent in some areas. Among the four superficially similar species viz., C. medinalis, M. patnalis, Marasmia trapezalis Gn. and Marasmia ruralis (Walker), C. medinalis and M. trapezalis Gn were very common occur together in rice growing areas .

Diamondback moth Plutella xylostella (L.) is a serious pest of crucifers especially cabbage, cauliflower and mustard.

Coffee occupies a place of pride among plantation crops grown in India. Coffee green bug, Coccus viridis (Green) is a serious pest of coffee and shade trees in coffee plantations.

Tobacco caterpilaar, Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) is a poly phagous pest and is a destructive pest of wide ranging crops like, cotton, tomato, chilies, groundnut, cabbage, cauliflower etc. Wide range of insecticides including pyrethroids areused to manage this pest.

Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum Maton) is known as queen of spices.

Considerable damage is done by thrips Sciothrips cardamomi (Ramk.), shoot and capsule borer Conogethes punctiferalis Guen.

NEED FOR MONITORING In view of the serious nature of above mentioned pests, usage of pesticides on cotton, rice, cole vegetables, cardamom and coffee is both extensive and intensive. The repeated application of pesticides provides ample scope for the development of resistance.

Improved monitoring of resistance would decrease the number of ineffective pesticide applications that are made when a resistance problem exists but has not been diagnosed.

Though field control failure might be due to insecticide resistance, all field control failures need not be due to resistance. It might be due to improper application and spurious material especially in India with marginal holdings and low rate of literacy. To detect the resistance in any case of field control, baseline data on the sociability and method of detection are needed.. The information available on base- line data generated for the widely used insecticides in the control of these pests are compiled and presented for ready reference.

MONITORING METHODS The host specific monitoring methods identified will enable everyone to watch for the same signs that resistance problem may be occurring and the severity of the problem.

1. H.armigera: In the monitoring programme carried out (Regupathy et al., 2004) the discriminating doses for fenvalerate, cypermethrin, quinalphos, profenofos and endosulfan have been fixed using the susceptible cultures available in Australia for topical application method (Forrester and Cahill, 1987; Forrester et. al., 1993; Gunning et al., 1984) (Table 1. ). The high-tech nature of topical application prevents many field level workers and marginal farmers adopting this due to low literacy rate in India.

In the absence of susceptible strain of Helicoverpa armigera in India, indirect method was used to fix discriminating doses (DD) for other methods of bioassay viz., vial, bouquet, spray tower and larval dip for commonly used insecticides viz., endosulfan, quinalphos, chlorpyriphos, fenvalerate and cypermethrin (Gouthaman,1994; Gouthaman and Regupathy, 2003). The DD for other methods were extrapolated by multiplying the DD available for susceptible cultures of NRI, UK and Australia by topical application with the factor of ratio of LD99 of topical and other methods. Validation of extrapolated DDs was done by testing on different H. armigera populations. The extrapolated DDs inflicted mortality with standard error (SE) varying from 3.9 to 7.1 when batches of 50 insects were used. The variation could be reduced with more number of insects per test.

2. P. xylostella: The leaf dip (IRAC method No.7) was used to determine the variability in baseline susceptible response to Bt in DBM field populations. Appropriate discrimination dose of Biobit 50 WP (32000 IU/mg) for third instar was 18 ppm a.i. (99% kill) (Chandrasekaran and Regupathy, 1996 a).

Discriminating doses for carbosulfan, cartap hydrochloride, fenvalerate, monocrotophos and quinalphos were fixed for different methods of bioassay viz., vial, leaf dip, larval dip and spray tower (Table 2). (Chandrasekaran, 1994; Chandrasekaran and Regupathy, 1996 b,c). The larval dip assay, though easier and economical dose not facilitate treatment in batches as the larvae get clumped up. Therefore, vial assay is suggested for adoption.

3. S. litura: The base line susceptibility response to five commonly used insecticides viz., endosulfan, chlorpyrifos, profenofos, fenvalerate and deltamethrin in Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) was determined by topical application as per standard Heliothis susceptibility test recommended by Entomological Society of America. Third instar larvae weighing about 30-40 mg (approximately 12±0.5 mm length) 8±1d old, were used. The discriminating dose screen was fixed for monitoring the level of insecticide resistance (Niranjankumar, 1999; Niranjankumar and Regupathy, 2001 a,b. (Table 3).

4. C. medinalis and M. patnalis: The bioassay method described by Endo and Masuda (1981b) and Fabeller et al. (1988) was followed to determine DD insecticide resistance topical application of insecticides in an aliquot of 0.5 ul on fourth instar larva weighing 20-30 mg, Based on the susceptibility nature of different populations l of C. medinalis and M. patnalis s to different insecticides , the DDs arrived for the five different insecticides were: chlorpyriphos 1.00µg, monocrotophos 0.35µg, phosalone 1.90 µg phosphamidon5.50 µg and quinalphos 0.40 µg. (Anandan, 1997; Anbalagan,2001).

5. C. punctiferalis: Topical assay by applying insecticide in an aliquot of 1µl on C. punctiferalis larvae weighing 18 - 22 mg (length 1.2 cm) . Considering the LD95 , the tentative DD is fixed as 0.4µg.

6. H. antonii: The technique recommended by the FAO for detecting resistance to insecticides was used (Muhamed and Omar, 1997) with fourth instar nymphs. Considering the LC95 , the tentative DD is fixed as 50 ppm (Renuka, 2001).

7. A.gossypii : The baseline susceptibility data were generated. (Praveen, 2003; Praveen and Regupathy, 2003 a) adopting IRAC method No. 8. The wingless adults aphids of ca 1.45mm size and weighing ca 0.19mg were used. Based on LC95s of the insecticides, the discriminating doses (ppm) fixed were 10 for thiamethoxam, 20 for imidacloprid, 50 for dimethoate, 400 for methyl demeton, 40 for acephate, and 20 for monocrotophos.

8. T. tabaci: Leaf dip bioassay method used by Elbert and Nauen, 1996 was followed using second instar nymphs. (Praveen, 2003; Praveen and Regupathy, 2003 b).

The LC95 values obtained for Kumbakonam population were used as (Thanjavur Dist) considering the nil background exposure of thrips population in Kumbakonam and high susceptible nature and the following DD screen is suggested for future resistance monitoring for imidacloprid (0.7 ppm), thiamethoxam (1.0 ppm) and dimethoate (1000.0 ppm).

9. A. devastans: The base line data for A. devastans population to different insecticides was genereted following IRAC method No. 8. The DD screen was fixed considering F4 of Coimbatore population for thiamethoxam (0.008) and monocrotophos (0.55) and DD) for imidacloprid (0.005), dimethoate (400), methyl demeton (800) and acephate (850) (Jayapradeepa, 2000; Jeyapradeepa and Regupathy, 2002).

10. B.tabaci. The resistance frequency of B. tabaci population to various insecticides is monitored using DD screens following the method suggested by Elbert and Nauen (1996). The DD screen followed by PAU, Ludhiana (Regupathy et al., 1998) for seven different insecticides viz., thiamethoxam (10), imidacloprid (10), monocrotophos (100), acephate (100), triazophos (10), cypermethrin (50) and endosulfan (5) was used.

11. C. viridis: Baseline toxicity of thiamethoxam, imidacloprid and dimethoate to Coccus viridis (Green) by conducting acute toxicity studies by leaf dip assay. Discriminating doses of 35, 66 and 500 ppm were fixed for thiamethoxam, imidacloprid and dimethoate respectively (Senthilkumar, 2003: Senthilkumar and Regupathy 2004).

CONCLUSION Traditional monitoring involves comparisons of LD50s , LD90s or the dose response curves between susceptible and field poulations. DD technique is efficient in detecting low frequencies of resistance because all individuals are tested at an appropriate dose and none was wasted at lower doses.

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