A newly published review paper discusses Tuta Absoluta distribution, biology, spread, host range, baseline insecticide susceptibility, global insecticide resistance status, and possible management inputs based on our understanding of insecticide susceptibility. The pest can be managed with integrated insecticide resistance management including molecular approaches.
Overall, the review unveiled the different insecticides used to control T. absoluta and their corresponding resistance status in different countries. In the initial phases, T. absoluta took at least 20 years to develop resistance against insecticide molecules, but today, it takes little more than two years.
The most prevalent resistance mechanism for rapid resistance development in T. absoluta was metabolic detoxification in conjunction with target-site mutation. Growers shall practice the application of chemical insecticides with management approaches like mating disruption and biological control to suppress populations. It may limit the frequency of resistance alleles and provide long-term T. absoluta control.
Implementing effective IPM methods and mode of action window strategy is assumed to be the most effective way to delay the development of resistance to new insecticides in T. absoluta. Global assessment of baseline toxicity, identification of resistance pathways and molecular mechanisms, and the genetics of resistance may help prospect successful T. absoluta management. Implementing RNA interference (RNAi) strategies targeting primary resistance favoring molecular mechanisms at the genetic level may douse T. absoluta populations effectively.
Read full review paper at: frontiersin.org