Dicofol resistance in Tetranychus cinnabarinus : resistance and stability of resistance in populations from Antalya, Turkey

Resistance against dicofol was investigated in the carmine spider mite, Tetranychus cinnabarinus . Higher resistance levels were detected by leaf residual bioassays than by topical bioassays, both done using a Potter spray tower, in almost all populations of T cinnabarinus examined from Antalya, Turkey. For instance, the resistance level at LC 95 was 17.5‐fold in topical bioassays but 58.9‐fold in leaf residual bioassays for the population collected from greenhouses in the Topçular district. There were differences of resistance levels at LC 95 , ranging between 2.6‐ and 23.9‐fold using topical bioassays and between 5.0‐ and 58.9‐fold in residual bioassays, in populations collected from greenhouses from various districts. Populations from cotton showed lower resistance levels against dicofol than populations from greenhouses. Resistance to dicofol at LC 50 as indicated by topical and residual bioassays increased 19.7‐ and 100.7‐fold, respectively, in a colony from the laboratory strain of T cinnabarinus selected with dicofol alone for 16 cycles. However, the dicofol resistance at LC 50 increased 19.4‐ and 52.0‐fold in another colony selected in rotation with dicofol and tetradifon for six and eight cycles, respectively. The changes in resistance to dicofol 5 months after the selection ceased were as follows: in the colony selected for dicofol alone, using topical and residual bioassays, the resistance levels at LC 50 decreased to 11.7‐ and 99.1‐fold, respectively, and in the colony selected in rotation with dicofol and tetradifon to 10.8‐ and 15.8‐fold, respectively. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry