Cross-resistance, genetics and stability of resistance to deltamethrin in a population of Chrysoperla carnea from Multan, Pakistan

Broad-spectrum insecticides are still widely being used. Chrysoperla carnea has been shown to develop resistance to the insecticides in the field. Knowledge of the evolution and genetics of resistance to insecticides in natural enemies could enable to explain how effectively natural enemies can be implemented in different IPM systems. To examine this, a population of C. carnea from Multan Pakistan was collected and was subjected to deltamethrin selection in the laboratory. Bioassays at generation G₁ gave resistance ratios of 47, 86, 137, 76 and 110 for deltamethrin, alphamethrin lambdacyhalothrin, chlorpyrifos and profenofos respectively compared with susceptible Lab-PK. Bioassays at G₄ with a deltamethrin-selected population (Delta-SEL) showed that selection gave resistance ratios of 896 and 30 for deltamethrin compared with the Lab-PK and UNSEL, respectively. Cross-resistance to other insecticides tested was observed in the selected population. A notable feature of the Delta-SEL strain was that resistance to deltamethrin, alphamethrin, lambdacyhalothrin, chlorpyrifos and profenofos did not decline over the course of four generations. Synergism tests with microsomal oxidase (MO) and esterase-specific inhibitors indicated that the deltamethrin resistance was associated with MO and, possibly, esterase activity. Reciprocal crosses between the Delta-SEL and Lab-PK strains indicated that resistance was autosomal and incompletely dominant. A direct test of monogenic inheritance suggested that resistance to deltamethrin was controlled by more than one locus. The broad spectrum of resistance, cross resistance, incompletely dominant mode of inheritance and stability of resistance to insecticides suggest that Delta-SEL population of C. carnea could be compatible with most spray programs.