Temperature-related fitness costs of resistance to spinosad in the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutelidae)

Fitness costs associated with resistance genes expressed in the absence of insecticides affect the evolution of insecticide resistance and the outcome of resistance management programmes. However, measurements of fitness costs may not be straightforward as they vary with environmental conditions. The diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella L. (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae), has developed resistance to spinosad, the first insecticide of the Naturalyte class, after only a few years of field application of this product. In this study, we compared the performance of two homogenous strains of P. xylostella, one susceptible (SS) and the other resistant (RR) to spinosad at an unfavourable, low natural temperature regime, a favourable median-fluctuating temperature regime and an unfavourable high-fluctuating temperature regime. The RR strain showed only marginal fitness cost at the median temperature regime. At the low temperature regime, the RR strain failed to produce any viable offspring, while the SS strain achieved positive population growth. At the high temperature regime, the RR strain showed a 33% decrease in intrinsic rate of increase compared to the SS strain. The results demonstrate that fitness costs of resistance to spinosad are temperature-dependent, increasing in scale at unfavourably low and high temperatures; costs were particularly high at low temperatures. Suggestions for designing effective management programmes are made to delay or avoid development of resistance to spinosad by P. xylostella under different temperature conditions.