Resistance Affects the Field Performance of Insecticides Used for Control of Choristoneura rosaceana in Michigan Apples and Cherries

Simple Summary In the years that Choristoneura rosaceana was first viewed as a primary pest in fruit orchards, it was routinely targeted with insecticides within integrated pest management (IPM) programs. However, the development of resistance against a number of insecticides in C. rosaceana field populations has limited the efficacy of these control programs. One critical component in C. rosaceana management is to test whether the detected resistance levels resulted in a practical resistance, i.e., a “lack of control under field conditions” or not. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the field performance in apple and cherry orchards of different insecticides against resistant C. rosaceana field populations using field-based residual bioassays and residue analysis. Compounds demonstrating low levels of field-evolved resistance in C. rosaceana populations from apple and cherry orchards did not result in practical resistance in the field-based trial (i.e., lack of control under field conditions). However, compounds with high levels of resistance of C. rosaceana resulted in practical resistance in both resistant populations. Only chlorantraniliprole and indoxacarb showed long-lasting residues with measurable leaf residues over all post-application intervals while the leaf residues of the other compounds had largely degraded within the first 7 days. These findings can help fruit growers make adjustments to spray/re-application intervals and optimally utilize important chemical tools in their integrated pest management programs. Abstract Field-based residual bioassays and residue analysis were conducted to assess the field performance and toxicity longevity of different insecticides that had previously been associated with resistance of Choristoneura rosaceana populations collected from apple and cherry orchards. In this study, 12–24 h-old larvae of apple and cherry populations were exposed to apple and cherry leaf samples, respectively, at post-application intervals and a susceptible population served as a reference of each. In the apple and cherry trials, the order of residual longevity of insecticides that effectively controlled the tested populations was as follows: bifenthrin and spinetoram (apple: 14, cherry 21-day post-application), phosmet (apple: 7, cherry 14-day post-application), chlorantraniliprole (apple: 7-day post-application), and indoxacarb and emamectin benzoate (apple: 1, cherry 7-day post-application). Compared to the susceptible population, the resistant populations resulted in a measurable loss of field performance, or “practical resistance”, for the insecticides emamectin benzoate (at 7-day post-application), chlorantraniliprole (at 21-day post-application), and indoxacarb (at all post-application intervals) in the apple trials, while in cherry trial just indoxacarb at 7-day post-application showed a reduced efficacy. In terms of long-lasting residues, only chlorantraniliprole and indoxacarb maintained measurable leaf residues over all post-application intervals while the leaf residues of the other compounds had largely degraded within the first 7 days. These findings can help fruit growers make adjustments to their spray/re-application intervals and optimally utilize important chemical tools in their integrated pest management programs.