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Mutation (G275E) of nAChR subunit Foα6 associated with spinetoram resistance in Australian western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande)

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Abstract

Western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis is an economically important agricultural pest. It causes damage by feeding and oviposition or indirectly by plant virus transmission. Australian F. occidentalis are resistant to many insecticides including spinosad and the related chemical spinetoram. Spinetoram resistance to F. occidentalis has been recently reported in three different Australian States, however, mechanisms conferring that resistance have not been investigated. To identify the mechanisms underlying resistance to spinetoram in F. occidentalis, we sequenced the genomic region of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor Foα6 in number of spinosad and spinetoram resistant field-populations. We found that a single nucleotide substitution (G to A) in exon 9 of the α6 subunit was present in resistant strains (G275E) and absent from susceptible. By examining field populations we consider the G275E mutation is the major cause of resistance to spinetoram in Australian F. occidentalis. We developed a real-time PCR diagnostic assay to quickly identify resistant alleles in field-populations. The method was used to test spinetoram resistant F. occidentalis collected from Australian cotton during the 2018–2019. Results show thrips tested carried the G275E mutation and the resistance allele was unusually widely distributed. The wide distribution of G275E mutation was not expected because spinetoram is not extensively used in Australian cotton. We speculate resistance may relate to extensive chemical use in crops nearby such as horticulture where thrips are often targeted for control. Our molecular diagnostic assay can provide timely and precise resistance frequency information that can support sustainable chemical use including spinetoram based IPM.

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Acknowledgements

This work was funded in part by the Australian Cotton Research and Development Corporation (DAN1507) with in-kind contributions from the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries.

Funding

This work was funded by the Australian Cotton Research and Development Corporation (DAN1507) with in-kind contributions from the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, Elizabeth MacArthur Agricultural Institute, Private Bag 4008, Narellan, 2567, Australia

    Yizhou Chen, Duong T. Nguyen, Risha Gupta & Grant A. Herron

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  1. Yizhou Chen
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  2. Duong T. Nguyen
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  3. Risha Gupta
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  4. Grant A. Herron
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Contributions

YC, GH and DN conceived and designed the experiments. DN and RG performed the experiments. YC, DN and RG analysed the data. GH contributed reagents/materials/analysis-tools via Cotton Research and Development Corporation funded DAN1507. YC, DN and GH wrote the paper. All authors have read and approved the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Yizhou Chen.

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Chen, Y., Nguyen, D.T., Gupta, R. et al. Mutation (G275E) of nAChR subunit Foα6 associated with spinetoram resistance in Australian western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande). Mol Biol Rep 48, 3155–3163 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-021-06372-3

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