Insecticide Resistance in the Tufted Apple Bud Moth, a Polyphagous Lepidopteran

Abstract

Azinphosmethyl resistance in the tufted apple bud moth (TABM), a tortricid pest of apple, provides a significant evolutionary and pest management problem. Current biochemical evidence using synthetic substrates indicates that higher glutathione transferase activity is associated with increased resistance in TABM field populations. Although resistance varies greatly among different habitats occupied by TABM, an allozyme study suggests that moths in these habitats experience regular interhabitat gene flow. We have begun to identify glutathione transferase genes in TABM using a heterologous Drosophila probe.