Cheng Qian

BACKGROUND: Although decoding the molecular mechanisms underlying insecticide resistance has often proven difficult, recent progress has revealed that specific mutations in the ryanodine receptor (RyR) of the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella, can confer resistance to diamide insecticides. The extent to which specific RyR mutations contribute to the diamide resistance phenotype, the associated genetic traits and fitness costs remain limited.RESULTS: Three field‐evolved PxRyR mutations (G4946E, I4790 M, and I4790 K) were respectively introgressed into a common susceptible background strain (IPP‐S) of P. xylostella with marker‐assisted backcrossing. The mutations alone can result in moderate to high levels of resistance to five commercial diamides (flubendiamide, chlorantraniliprole, cyantraniliprole, tetraniliprole, and cyclaniliprole), and the resistance intensity mediated by the three mutations was hierarchical in order of I4790 K (1199‐ to >2778‐fold) > G4946E (39‐ to 739‐fold) > I4790 M (16‐ to 57‐fold). Flubendiamide resistance was autosomal and incompletely recessive, and was significantly linked with the introgressed mutations in the three constructed strains. In addition, the resistance levels to flubendiamide of hybrid progeny from any two resistant strains fell in between the status of their parents. Furthermore, by comparing the net replacement rate, the fitness of 4946E, 4790 M and 4790 K strains were 0.77, 0.93 and 0.92 relative to the IPP‐S strain, respectively.CONCLUSION: Three independent PxRyR mutations confer varying degrees of resistance to diamides in P. xylostella. Among the three mutations, I4790 K confers highest levels of resistance (> 1000‐fold) to all five commercial diamides. The findings can guide resistance management practices for diamides in P. xylostella and other arthropods.