Kewedar Said, Chen Qi-Ren, Moural Timothy W, Lo Carah, Umbel Elsie, Forrence Peter J, Walsh Douglas B, Zhu Fang
Department of Entomology, Penn State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center, Washington State University, Prosser, WA 99350, USA.
Insects. 2025 Apr 23;16(5):440. doi: 10.3390/insects16050440.
The two-spotted spider mite () is a highly destructive and economically significant pest in agricultural, horticultural, and ornamental agroecosystems worldwide, including hop () and mint ( spp.) fields in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) region of the United States. Repeated acaricide applications and rotations have led to widespread resistance, resulting in control failures. In this study, we investigated the mechanisms of resistance to four different acaricides (bifenthrin, bifenazate, etoxazole, and abamectin) across 23 field-collected TSSM populations by integrating diagnostic bioassays, genetic screening for resistance-associated mutations, structural modeling, and molecular docking. Several mutations and mutation combinations were detected in across all tested populations. The G132A in was identified in 68.75% of hop and 40% of mint TSSM populations, while the I1017F in was found in 94% of hop and 100% of mint populations. Structural analysis revealed key interactions between acaricides and target proteins in both wild-type and mutant variants, providing novel insights into the functional impacts of these mutations. Our findings enhance the understanding of TSSM adaptation to acaricides among different crops, supporting the development of more effective resistance management strategies to mitigate economic losses in hops, mint, and other crop production.
二斑叶螨是全球农业、园艺和观赏农业生态系统中极具破坏性且具有经济重要性的害虫，包括美国太平洋西北地区（PNW）的啤酒花和薄荷田。反复施用杀螨剂及轮换用药已导致广泛的抗性，造成防治失败。在本研究中，我们通过整合诊断性生物测定、抗性相关突变的基因筛查、结构建模和分子对接，研究了23个田间采集的二斑叶螨种群对四种不同杀螨剂（联苯菊酯、联苯肼酯、乙螨唑和阿维菌素）的抗性机制。在所有测试种群中均检测到了几种突变和突变组合。在68.75%的啤酒花和40%的薄荷二斑叶螨种群中鉴定出了G132A，而在94%的啤酒花和100%的薄荷种群中发现了I1017F。结构分析揭示了杀螨剂与野生型和突变体变体中靶蛋白之间的关键相互作用，为这些突变的功能影响提供了新的见解。我们的研究结果增进了对二斑叶螨在不同作物中对杀螨剂适应性的理解，支持制定更有效的抗性管理策略，以减轻啤酒花、薄荷和其他作物生产中的经济损失。
