| Apple is a primary fruit crop in North Carolina. The codling moth, Cydia pomonella (L.), and oriental fruit moth, Grapholita molesta (Busck), are two key apple pests in North Carolina. Management of these two insects has been mainly achieved by constant application of broad-spectrum insecticides, primarily organophosphates (more than 40 years). Due to organophosphate resistance development and regulatory actions, apple growers are transitioning to management programs that use new, reduced-risk insecticides.;This study evaluated the toxicity of nine new insecticides to eggs, larvae and adults, assessed their relative toxicity and residual activity to codling moth and oriental fruit moth. Results showed that codling moth and oriental fruit moth larvae were very susceptible to many of these new compounds. Moreover, some insecticides presented better or at least comparable results to azinphosmethyl, a long used standard material, in the residual experiments.;This transition to new chemistry insecticide could be threatened by the development of resistance or cross resistance to older insecticides. Codling moth, especially, is wellknown for developing resistance to many insecticide groups in almost every apple growing region. Thus, establishing baseline susceptibility levels and using reliable bioassays are essential steps in insecticide resistance programs. There are a number of different bioassays to monitor for codling moth resistance; however, many are not applicable to new insecticides or may take months to complete.;Contact insecticides, acetamiprid and azinphosmethyl, were significantly more toxic to neonates than 4th instars. However, there was no significant difference in neonate and 4th instar response to ingestion insecticides, chloronantrinilipole, methoxyfenozide, novaluron and spinetoram. Field colonies that presented control failures were significantly more resistant than the laboratory colony and the colony established form abandoned orchards. A diagnostic dose of 20 ug/ml (LC99) was established to monitor for codling moth resistance to methoxyfenozide. These results demonstrated a novel and rapid bioassay can be used to monitor codling moth resistance to methoxyfenozide.;The use of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) transgenic plant technologies has practically eliminated caterpillar damage in crops; however, so far, this approach is completely ineffective against Hemiptera pest species. The tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois), is a very destructive pest to many crops, but it has been more noticeable in Bt cotton. Furthermore, the development of resistant populations of tarnished plant bug to common insecticides makes it harder to keep pestiferous populations below economic damage.;Ideally, a transgenic approach for sucking herbivores as efficient as Bt crops for caterpillars, could drastically change this scenario. The digestive system is the primary interface between the insect and transgenic plants and the most important relative to the use of transgenic insecticidal proteins for insect control. The goal of this study was to develop the first 454 whole body and digestive system transcriptomes to a plant bug to enhance our current knowledge on plant-sucking insect digestion. Here we have identified eight proteins, leptin receptor, adiponectin receptor, tachykinin precursor, GPCRs, proprotein convertases that could be used as potential targets to control this pest. |
