Effects of spirotetramat on development and reproduction of Myzus persicae (Hemiptera: Aphididae)

Abstract

AbstractThe Green Peach Aphid Myzus persicae (Sulzer, 1776) is one of the most destructive pests of cultivated crops worldwide. Spirotetramat is an insecticide with a novel mode of action on aphids and other sucking pests. Here, we studied the effects of spirotetramat on the biology and development of M. persicae under laboratory condition. The results showed that spirotetramat at sublethal doses caused a decrease in nymph survival. However, we did not find sublethal effects on developmental duration of treated aphids or their offspring when exposed to LC5 (0.2736 mg/L), LC15 (0.5163 mg/L) and LC25 (0.7531 mg/L) concentrations. Treatments with LC30 (0.8808 mg/L), LC60 (1.9830 mg/L) and the recommended concentration for field usage (60 mg/L) significantly reduced the longevity and fecundity of adult aphids. Gross fertility was reduced by 65.34%, 81.80% and 86.51% at LC30, LC60 and recommended concentrations, respectively. The most significant feature of spirotetramat is that it induces nonviable nymphs, leading to a significant reduction in adult fecundity. The proportion of nonviable nymphs significantly increased with the concentration of spirotetramat. The gross and net reproductive rates were reduced by 68.91%, 83.97%, 97.25% and 65.61%, 81.94%, 97.10% at LC30, LC60, and recommended concentrations, respectively. The intrinsic rate of increase decreased to 0 when aphids were exposed to the recommended concentration. Our study showed that the reproductive toxicity of spirotetramat should be fully considered when attempting to evaluate the pesticide's action on insects.