Molecular mechanisms of resistance to some pesticides in the two-spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae (Acari: Tetranychidae) from Egypt

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Plant Protection Research Institute, Agriculture Research Center, Egypt

2 Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Suez Canal University, Ismailia 41522, Egypt

Abstract

The two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae (Acari: Tetranychidae), is the major pest affecting
crops in Egypt. To date, synthetic acaricides are used extensively to control it. These include two specific
acaricides: i.e. abamectin and chlorfenapyr compounds that are toxic to T. urticae and used widespread in
Egypt. Nevertheless, progressive insensitivities to these acaricides are problematic in many areas under
field conditions currently used in Ismailia province, Egypt, to control mites. The overall aim of the
present study was to study the molecular mechanisms of resistance to the pesticides abamectin and
chlorfenapyr in the two-spotted spider mite collected from Ismailia governorate in Egypt. In this paper,
we investigated T. urticae collected from sprayed vegetables, fruits and citrus by compounds abamectin
and chlorfenapyr where control failures were reported, together with a laboratory strain collected from
unsprayed districts. Oligonucleotide specific primers of T. urticae diagnostics were used to screen the
genomic DNA as templates based on the end-point PCR analysis. In the present work, searching of T.
urticae DNA by PCR for resistance mutations revealed that the amplified DNA fragments had the
expected resistant common kinds of mutations. The resulting PCR products were sequenced and
compared with the laboratory strain collected from unsprayed districts. Neither mutation was detected in
DNA samples of the laboratory strains examined in this study. So, it could be that the toxicological and
mutation mechanisms data of abamectin and chlorfenapyr resistance determined in this study will be
essential in devising the resistant management strategies for the future use of these compounds in the
cultivation in Egypt.

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