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Diagnosis of Resistance to Organophosphorus Insecticides in Myzus persicae (Sulz.)

Abstract

THE chemical control of the green peach aphid Myzus persicae (Sulz.), which damages many crops both directly and by transmitting numerous virus diseases, is seriously jeopardized by the world wide occurrence of resistance to organophosphorus insecticides. In the United Kingdom resistance previously confined to glasshouse crops now occurs in the field. Nothing is known about the nature of the resistance mechanism(s) in these insects and little about the patterns of resistance. We wish to report (1) large differences in the activity of ali-esterases of susceptible and resistant aphids which can be used to determine resistance even in single aphids, (2) large differences in some properties of these enzymes between susceptible and resistant aphids and house flies, and (3) a marked decrease or increase in resistance when the aphids are treated with insecticides in the presence of ‘Sesamex’ (2-(3,4-methylene-dioxyphenyl)3,6,9-trioxaundecane). This is evidence that multi-function oxidases are involved in resistance to organophosphorus insecticides in aphids.

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NEEDHAM, P., SAWICKI, R. Diagnosis of Resistance to Organophosphorus Insecticides in Myzus persicae (Sulz.). Nature 230, 125–126 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1038/230125a0

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