Resistance of Insect Pests to Neonicotinoid Insecticides and Management Strategies

Both nicotinoids and neonicotinoids act on the insect central nervous system as agonists of the postsynaptic nicotinic acetylcholine receptors(nAChRs),but there is a distinct difference between the selective toxicity of two groups.Nicotinoids are high toxicity to mammals,while rather limited in insecticidal activity.On the other hand,neonicotinoids possess highly insecticidal toxicity and low toxicity to mammals.As a result of this mode of action,there is little or no cross-resistance to insecticides used in former times such as pyrethroids,chlorinated hydrocarbons,organophosphates and carbamates.Neonicotinoid insecticides have made a great contribution to managing some of the most destructive crop pests in the world,including species with a long history of resistance to earlier-used products.To date, neonicotinoids have proved relatively resilient to the development of resistance. Current status,mechanisms of neonicotiniod resistance and resistance-management strategies were reviewed.