Determination of the Insecticide Resistance Mechanisms Using Biochemical Methods in the Aphis gossypii Glover (Hemiptera: Aphididae) Populations Damaging on Cotton in Turkey

Abstract

This research was performed between 2000 and 2003, to explore the role of the mechanisms in conferring insecticide resistance of Aphis gossypii populations collected from the cotton areas of the Mediterranean region of Turkey using biochemical methods. These populations collected from Antalya and four different fields of Adana and standard A. gossypii populations were used throughout the studies. Total esterase activity associated with insecticide resistance was detected using kinetic microplate assay. All populations were characterized using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) to determine the esterase banding pattern. In addition, insecticide resistance resulted from insensitivity of acetylcholinesterase was investigated using microplate assay. According to results from the biochemical assays, four cotton aphid populations were found to have high esterase activity. Esterase banding patterns were determined with electrophoresis. This demonstrated that all Turkish cotton aphids collected were the same banding pattern as the standard resistant 1081K population in the PAGE. In modified AChE study, target site sensitivities of the populations were investigated using pirimicarb and demeton-S-methyl as inhibitors. All of these populations were identified with differing levels of sensitivity to these chemicals.