8-19 IAN Insect Resistance

 Resistance can be a key factor in agriculture…but resistance to what? I’m David Sparks and I’ll be right back with the answer. Resistance of weeds to herbicides is not a unique phenomenon. In fact, resistance to pesticides is a world wide problem that is not confined to any single pest category. The first report of insects resistant to insecticides was in 1908, of plant pathogens resistant to fungicides in 1940, and of weeds resistant to herbicides in 1968. So resistance is getting a lot of attention these days - but are the proper steps being taken to protect insecticide resistance from impacting the profitability of row crops - and are the tools available for insect management being properly utilized? Here’s entomologist Dr. Kelly Tindall who explains why resistance develops in insects: “There are several different reasons that insecticide resistance develops. Several species of insects have a quick generation time and when you expose that pest to the insecticide, and then you expose it again, you select for it over time. Another problem is that people put out reduced rates and so they’re able to increase their level of tolerance over time. You may also be putting out an insecticide when you’re not at threshold. Each state has different thresholds for the different insects for different crops.