Abstract
The smaller tea tortrix, Adoxophyes honmai Yasuda (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), is one of the main insect pests of tea, Camellia sinensis Kuntz, in Japan. Recently, A. honmai has developed a high resistance to diacylhydrazine analog insect growth regulators, such as tebufenozide, in Shizuoka Prefecture. Previously, we identified a point mutation (A415V) in the ecdysone receptor gene (EcR), a candidate factor responsible for tebufenozide resistance. In this study, we have developed a molecular method of diagnosis to detect the EcR A415V mutation by polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR–RFLP). This method was confirmed to be successfully applicable to larvae reared in the laboratory and adults collected by pheromone traps in the field. The appearance ratio of the resistant allele in the A. honmai populations from various Japanese districts examined by the method revealed a high correlation with the magnitude of tebufenozide resistance. These results verified that the A415V mutation is the principal factor responsible for tebufenozide resistance and the PCR–RFLP method may be used as a reliable and convenient tool for monitoring tebufenozide resistance in the field.
Highlights
The smaller tea tortrix, Adoxophyes honmai Yasuda (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), is a polyphagous insect pest infesting many agricultural crops, including tea, citrus, rose, and grape [9]
We have developed a molecular method of diagnosis to detect the ecdysone receptor gene (EcR) A415V mutation by polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR–RFLP)
We developed a molecular diagnostic test for tebufenozide resistance in A. honmai—a PCR–RFLP method to detect the A415V mutation of EcR
Summary
The smaller tea tortrix, Adoxophyes honmai Yasuda (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), is a polyphagous insect pest infesting many agricultural crops, including tea, citrus, rose, and grape [9]. Adoxophyes honmai has 4–5 generations per year in the tea fields of Shizuoka Prefecture, which produces the largest quantity of tea in Japan [20]. Larvae prefer feeding on leaf buds and young leaves to old leaves [12]. Outbreaks of this pest cause severe damage to tea leaves, developmental delay of tea shoots, reductions in tea yield, and decreased quality in tea manufacturing. A. honmai has already developed resistance to many insecticides, including carbamates [13], organophosphates, synthetic pyrethroids, and benzoylurea analog insect growth regulators (IGRs) [7]. The development of high levels of resistance to diacylhydrazine (DAH) analog IGRs and diamide insecticides has been recently reported [19, 20]
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