Resistance selection and biochemical characterization of spinosad resistance in Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

A Helicoverpa armigera population was collected from Shandong province, China. After 15 generations of selection in the laboratory, the H. armigera strain developed more than 20-fold resistance to spinosad. At LD50 level, no significant cross-resistance was found between spinosad and chlorpyrifos, methomyl, avermectin and chlorfenapyr except for fenvalerate with a low cross-resistance of 2.4-fold. However, LD99 values of fenvalerate against the parental and resistant strains were not different significantly. After inhibitors were used, spinosad resistance could be partially suppressed by piperonylbutoxide (PBO) and triphenylphosphate (TPP), but not by diethylmaleate (DEM). Activities of p-nitroanisole O-demethylase (ODM) developed to 8.26-fold compared with the parental strain, but no obvious changes were found in activities of carboxyl esterase (CarE) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST). The results indicated that resistance to spinosad in the cotton bollworm might be associated with an increase in cytochrome P450 monooxygenase.