From laboratory to field: laboratory-measured pesticide resistance reflects outcomes of field-based control in the redlegged earth mite, Halotydeus destructor

Resistance to pesticides is typically identified via laboratory bioassays after field control failures are observed, but the results of such assays are rarely validated through experiments under field conditions. Such validation is particularly important when only a low-to-moderate level of resistance is detected in the laboratory. Here we undertake such a validation for organophosphate resistance in the agricultural pest mite Halotydeus destructor, in which low-to-moderate levels of resistance to organophosphorus pesticides have evolved in Australia. Using data from laboratory bioassays, we show that resistance to the organophosphate chlorpyrifos is higher (around 100-fold) than resistance to another organophosphate, omethoate (around 7-fold). In field trials, both these chemicals were found to effectively control pesticide-susceptible populations of H. destructor. However, when applied to a resistant mite population in the field, the effectiveness of chlorpyrifos was substantially decreased. In contrast, omethoate remained effective when tested alone or as a mixture with chlorpyrifos. We also show that two novel (non-pesticide) treatments, molasses and wood vinegar, are ineffective in controlling H. destructor when sprayed to pasture fields at rates of 4 L/ha. These findings suggest a close link between levels of resistance quantified through laboratory bioassays and the field effectiveness of pesticides; however, in the case of H. destructor, this does not necessarily mean all field populations possessing organophosphate resistance will respond similarly given the potentially complex nature of the underlying resistance mechanism(s).