Neonicotinoid insecticide resistance in the field populations of Sogatella furcifera (Horvath) in Central China from 2011 to 2015

The whitebacked planthopper Sogatella furcifera (Horvath) is an important pest of rice throughout Asia. Application of chemical insecticide is the main approach to suppress the field populations of S. furcifera. In this study, neonicotinoid insecticide resistance in field populations of S. furcifera were evaluated. The results showed that some field populations of S. furcifera had developed moderate level of resistance to imidacloprid (RR = 1.1-16.4), thiamethoxam (RR = 0.8-14.9), dinotefuran (RR = 1.2-16.6) and acetamiprid (RR = 3.3-12.2), low level of resistance to nitenpyram (RR = 1.1-9.5) and clothianidin (RR = 1.3-8.7) in Central China. Moreover, there were an increasing trend in neonicotinoid insecticide resistance in the period 2011-2015. The results of current study may form the basis to identify and evaluate the resistance tendency of S. furcifera against neonicotinoid insecticides, which could make effective management recommendations to avoid further development of insecticide resistance in S. furcifera.