Pesticide-mediated displacement of a phytoseiid predator, Neoseiulus womersleyi, by another phytoseiid predator, N. californicus (Acari: Phytoseiidae)

Pirimicarb resistance and associated mechanisms in field-collected and selected populations of Neoseiulus californicus

The predatory mite Neoseiulus californicus McGregor (Acari: Phytoseiidae) is an important natural enemy of phytophagous mites, and naturally established populations are often found in apple orchards. However, insecticide applications to control pests cause side effects to non-target organisms such as N. californicus. Pirimicarb, a widely used carbamate insecticide in apple orchards, is generally considered a selective aphidicide, however, toxicity to beneficial insects and predatory mites has been reported. Furthermore, the molecular basis for this selectivity, if present in N. californicus, is still largely unknown. In this study, 8 field-collected N. californicus populations were investigated and showed up to 27-fold resistance compared to a susceptible laboratory population. Selection in the laboratory for 5 consecutive generations resulted in a 69-fold pirimicarb resistance. Although there were no significant difference in terms of the acetlycholinesterase (AChE) activity between susceptible and field-collected populations, the selected population exhibited a significantly higher AChE activity. In addition, gene copy number variation of acetylcholinesterase (ace) gene among populations was detected and ranged from 1.6 to 2.1-fold relative to the susceptible population. All field-collected populations, but not the selected population, had a significantly higher ace copy number compared to the susceptible population (t-test, p < 0.05). Molecular analysis of the target-site (AChE) revealed, for the first time, a phenylalanine to tryptophan substition at position 331 in AChE (Torpedo californica numbering), both in field-collected and the selected population, but not in the susceptible population. Last, the selected F5 population consumed significantly more Tetranychusurticae adults than the parental population. Together, the results of this study shed light on the molecular determinants of acaricide selectivity in predatory mites, and will contribute to a better design of an integrated mite management program, including the use of pesticide resistant N. californicus in apple orchards.

Improving the compatibility of pesticides and predatory mites: recent findings on physiological and ecological selectivity

Integrated pest management relies upon the application of selective pesticides that do not hinder biological control. Phytoseiid mites represent an interesting case-study: they are amongst the most frequently used biological control agents and often are less affected by pesticides than their prey by natural tolerance or by developing resistance. The selectivity of a pesticide is determined by physiological processes that include metabolism, transport, and the affinity to the target-site. Genomic and transcriptomic studies start to elucidate the genetic and molecular mechanisms of differential toxicity in some phytoseiid species, such as a mutation in the sodium channel conferring pyrethroid resistance. Ecological selectivity is achieved by smart applications of pesticides and management practices that influence the persistence of phytoseiid mites on plants. Although modern pesticides often show lower acute toxicity, there is a need for robust assays and procedures that quantify lethal and sublethal effects, through different routes and times of exposure.

The response of three species of phytoseiid mite (Acari: Phytoseiidae) to synthetic pyrethroid pesticides in the laboratory and the field

The Kanzawa spider mite, Tetranychus kanzawai Kishida, is a major pest in tea fields [Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze] in Japan. However, recently, there have been some instances where acaricides are no longer applied as a result of the low occurrence of T. kanzawai in tea fields in Japan. In the period of 2015-2017, surveys of predatory mites in the study tea field detected Amblyseius eharai Amitai and Swirski, Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot, Euseius sojaensis (Ehara), Amblyseius obtuserellus Wainstein and Begljarov, and Typhlodromus vulgaris Ehara in tea fields, but not Neoseiulus womersleyi (Schicha), indicating that a major change in the composition of the phytoseiid mite population had occurred. In laboratory studies, we confirmed the ability to avoid synthetic pyrethroid insecticides of the major beneficial mites in tea fields, A. eharai and P. persimilis, but not of E. sojaensis, a predatory mite whose population declined heavily after pesticide application. Attempts are made in this study to associate the decrease in T. kanzawai frequency in Japan with changes in pesticide used, method of spraying, and composition of the phytoseiid mite population. By continuing the method of pesticide spraying ('partial surface'), which leaves refugia in the leaf layer with sub-lethal dosages of pesticide, phytoseiid mites are aided to evade pesticides, resulting in maintenance of the composition of the phytoseiid mite populations in terms of diversity and abundance. Maintaining the diversity and abundance of Phytoseiidae may have contributed to the stabilization of the T. kanzawai population at low densities in Japanese tea fields.

Combinations of plant water-stress and neonicotinoids can lead to secondary outbreaks of Banks grass mite (Oligonychus pratensis Banks)

Spider mites, a cosmopolitan pest of agricultural and landscape plants, thrive under hot and dry conditions, which could become more frequent and extreme due to climate change. Recent work has shown that neonicotinoids, a widely used class of systemic insecticides that have come under scrutiny for non-target effects, can elevate spider mite populations. Both water-stress and neonicotinoids independently alter plant resistance against herbivores. Yet, the interaction between these two factors on spider mites is unclear, particularly for Banks grass mite (Oligonychus pratensis; BGM). We conducted a field study to examine the effects of water-stress (optimal irrigation = 100% estimated evapotranspiration (ET) replacement, water stress = 25% of the water provided to optimally irrigated plants) and neonicotinoid seed treatments (control, clothianidin, thiamethoxam) on resident mite populations in corn (Zea mays, hybrid KSC7112). Our field study was followed by a manipulative field cage study and a parallel greenhouse study, where we tested the effects of water-stress and neonicotinoids on BGM and plant responses. We found that water-stress and clothianidin consistently increased BGM densities, while thiamethoxam-treated plants only had this effect when plants were mature. Water-stress and BGM herbivory had a greater effect on plant defenses than neonicotinoids alone, and the combination of BGM herbivory with the two abiotic factors increased the concentration of total soluble proteins. These results suggest that spider mite outbreaks by combinations of changes in plant defenses and protein concentration are triggered by water-stress and neonicotinoids, but the severity of the infestations varies depending on the insecticide active ingredient.