The development of abamectin resistance in Liriomyza trifolii and its contribution to thermotolerance

• Published in: Pest management science Vol. 80; no. 4; pp. 2053 - 2060
• Main Authors: Wang, Yu‐Cheng, Chang, Ya‐Wen, Gong, Wei‐Rong, Hu, Jie, Du, Yu‐Zhou
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chichester, UK John Wiley & Sons, Ltd 01.04.2024; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Abamectin; Adaptation; cross resistance; death; Eclosion; Foliage; Fungicides; Gene expression; Heat shock proteins; Heat stress; Heat tolerance; horticulture; Hot weather; HSPs; Insecticide resistance; Insecticides; Insects; Larvae; leaves; Liriomyza trifolii; Outbreaks; pest management; Pest outbreaks; Pesticides; pests; selection pressure; Senescence; Strain; Survival; temperature; Temperature tolerance; thermotolerance; vegetables; weather; insecticide resistance; pest management; thermotolerance; HSPs; Liriomyza trifolii
• ISSN: 1526-498X; 1526-4998; 1526-4998
• DOI: 10.1002/ps.7944

BACKGROUND Liriomyza trifolii is an economically significant, invasive pest of horticultural and vegetable crops. The larvae form tunnels in foliage and hasten senescence and death. Outbreaks of L. trifolii often erupt in hot weather and are driven by thermotolerance; furthermore, the poor effectiveness of pesticides has made outbreaks more severe. But it is still unclear whether the development of insecticide tolerance will contribute to thermotolerance in L. trifolii. RESULTS To explore potential synergistic relationships between insecticide exposure and thermotolerance in L. trifolii, we first generated an abamectin‐resistant (AB‐R) strain. Knockdown behavior, eclosion and survival rates, and expression levels of genes encoding heat shock proteins (Hsps) in L. trifolii were then examined in AB‐R and abamectin‐susceptible (AB‐S) strains. Our results demonstrated that long‐term selection pressure for abamectin resistance made L. trifolii more prone to develop cross‐resistance to other insecticides containing similar ingredients. Furthermore, the AB‐R strain exhibited enhanced thermotolerance and possessed an elevated critical thermal maximum temperature, and upregulated expression levels of Hsps during heat stress. CONCLUSION Collectively, our results indicate that thermal adaptation in L. trifolii was accompanied by emerging abamectin resistance. This study provides a theoretical basis for investigating the synergistic or cross‐adaptive mechanisms that insects use to cope with adversity and demonstrates the complexity of insect adaptation to environmental and chemical stress. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry. Hypothetical model illustrating the relationship between thermotolerance and abamectin resistance in Liriomyza trifolii. Continuous selection for abamectin resistance made L. trifolii prone to develop cross‐resistance, and the resulting elevated critical thermal maximum temperature and upregulated LtHsps expression during heat stress confirmed that evolved thermal adaptation was accompanied by emerging insecticide resistance.