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Insecticide resistance trait may contribute to genetic cluster change in Bemisia tabaci MED (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) as a potential driving force.

BACKGROUND
Previously, we had reported that the majority of the Bemisia tabaci Mediterranean (MED) populations converged from two dominant genetic clusters (cluster 1 and 2) to one (cluster 2) during one year in greenhouse tomatoes in Korea. To find possible mechanisms for this phenomenon, we investigated the concurrent changes in resistance traits of the two clusters for three insecticide classes (organophosphate, pyrethroid, and neonicotinoid).


RESULTS
Since the resistance mutation frequencies in regional samples were either high (i.e., the voltage-sensitive sodium channel L925I/T929V mutations and the F392 acetylcholinesterase 1 mutation) or zero (the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor R81T mutation), no meaningful correlation between the resistance allele frequency and genetic cluster was deduced. However, the actual resistance levels to all three insecticide classes were significantly higher in cluster 2 than those in cluster 1, suggesting that cluster 2 has a higher resistance potential. Furthermore, thiamethoxam treatment to the mixed population of clusters 1 and 2 over three generations exhibited a strong tendency of population change from cluster 1 to cluster 2.


CONCLUSION
Our results demonstrated that the insecticide resistance trait is one of the driving forces for rapid genetic cluster change in the B. tabaci MED populations.