Regional changes of maximum dose insecticide responses in diamondback moth (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) populations from Georgia and Florida, USA

Maximum dose bioassays were conducted to assess the efficacy of multiple registered active ingredients for diamondback moth (DBM), Plutella xylostella (L.), control in Georgia and Florida from 2021 to 2023 as a follow-up to an earlier study. Low efficacy (<40% mortality) was recorded for the highest labeled rate of Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki strain ATBS-351 in Georgia, as well as chlorantraniliprole, cyantraniliprole, and cyclaniliprole in Georgia and Florida. The active ingredients with the highest efficacy (>80% mortality) in both states were naled, emamectin benzoate, and spinetoram. Independent analysis of data by state indicated that the efficacy of bifenthrin, chlorantraniliprole, cyantraniliprole, tolfenpyrad, and methomyl was higher in Florida populations than in Georgia populations. In addition, a comparison of these data to a recent DBM maximum dose survey in the same region suggested that these DBM populations have rapidly developed high levels of resistance to cyantraniliprole and cyclaniliprole. This work provides growers in the region with a recent ranking of insecticide efficacy that documents the loss of control for certain active ingredients, which assists pest managers in the planning of ongoing insecticide rotations for DBM resistance management.