Baseline susceptibilities of B- and Q-biotype Bemisia tabaci to anthranilic diamides in Arizona

Development of pyriproxyfen and neonicotinoid resistance in the B-biotype whitefly and recent introduction of the Q biotype have the potential to threaten current whitefly management programs in Arizona. The possibility of integrating the novel anthranilic diamides chlorantraniliprole and cyantraniliprole into the current program to tackle these threats largely depends on whether these compounds have cross-resistance with pyriproxyfen and neonicotinoids in whiteflies. To address this question, the authors bioassayed a susceptible B-biotype strain, a pyriproxyfen-resistant B-biotype strain, four multiply resistant Q-biotype strains and 16 B-biotype field populations from Arizona with a systemic uptake bioassay developed in the present study.

The magnitude of variations in LC(50) and LC(99) among the B-biotype populations or the Q-biotype strains was less than fivefold and tenfold, respectively, for both chlorantraniliprole and cyantraniliprole. The Q-biotype strains were relatively more tolerant than the B-biotype populations. No correlations were observed between the LC(50) (or LC(99)) values of the two diamides against the B- and Q-biotype populations tested and their survival rates at a discriminating dose of pyriproxyfen or imidacloprid.

These results indicate the absence of cross-resistance between the two anthranilic diamides and the currently used neonicotinoids and pyriproxyfen. Future variation in susceptibility of field populations to chlorantraniliprole and cyantraniliprole could be documented according to the baseline susceptibility range of the populations tested in this study.