Typescript (photocopy). / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

Graduation date: 1998

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Crop Protection, 1998? / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 120-145).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Applied and Molecular Ecology, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 204-230).

Diss. (sammanfattning) Uppsala : Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet, 2006. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Thesis (M.Sc.) - Carleton University, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 72-76). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Pest resistance to pesticides can have severe impacts on both commercial agriculture and the environment. But many resistance problems are exacerbated because pest susceptibility is a dynamic, common-property resource subject to inefficient allocation by the market. Theoretically, the impact of resistance can be mitigated through regulatory management of the control technology set. However, the current pesticide regulatory process does not include resistance considerations in its quantitative analyses due to the computational difficulties encountered when trying to optimize complex bioeconomic models. As a result, regulatory efforts may actually promote increased susceptibility depletion and the rapid emergence of resistance. This study overcame these problems by forming a dynamic bioeconomic model that combined: 1) a widely accepted genetic simulator used by entomologists; 2} an aggregate economic surplus model with nationwide regulatory relevance; and 3) an improved simulation optimization algorithm that conserved computational resources. For the purpose of illustration, the bioeconomic model was parameterized to represent the U.S. apple production system. Information generated through optimization of the dynamic bioeconomic model suggested that resistance becomes quantitatively important when planning horizons exceed 10 years, confirming that the economic performance of the production system becomes severely sub-optimal when susceptibility depletion is not incorporated into decision-making. Furthermore, insecticide withdrawals from an initial control technology set led to large additional losses in economic surplus, although the exact magnitude of these impacts varied depending on the characteristics of the insecticide withdrawn. Substantial withdrawal-induced losses in of the planning horizon, and they were accompanied by temporal shifts in insecticide applications. The need to incorporate a dynamic, bioeconomic simulation analysis in the regulatory process was demonstrated by comparing statically optimal and extant insecticide use recommendations with the dynamically̅optimal solutions. Optimal solutions drastically reduced economic surplus losses, although they did lead to increased levels of insecticide use. Ultimately, management of the resistance/regulation nexus requires that both current economic data and the time–dynamics of system biology play a prominent role in the benefits assessment process. This can only be accomplished if an investment is made in the necessary basic research and model development. / Ph. D.

Bases para a implementação de um programa de manejo da resistência de Blattella germanica (L.) a inseticidas foram coletadas no presente trabalho. Técnicas de bioensaio de aplicação tópica e de contato tarsal foram comparadas inicialmente para a detecção da resistência a deltametrina e clorpirifós. O bioensaio de aplicação tópica possibilitou uma melhor discriminação entre a linhagem suscetível e as populações de campo de B. germanica testadas. Resultados do monitoramento da suscetibilidade de B. germanica a inseticidas evidenciaram a presença de variabilidade genética que confere resistência a deltametrina, clorpirifós e fipronil em populações coletadas em alguns estabelecimentos comerciais dos Estados de São Paulo e Rio de Janeiro. As razões de resistência encontradas para deltametrina e clorpirifós foram de aproximadamente 43 e 6 vezes, respectivamente. A resistência de B. germanica a deltametrina foi instável, ou seja, houve uma redução significativa na freqüência de resistência na ausência de pressão de seleção. Estudos de relações de resistência cruzada revelaram uma baixa intensidade de resistência cruzada (aproximadamente 2 vezes) entre fipronil e os inseticidas deltametrina e clorpirifós. E por último, a mistura de deltametrina e clorpirifós foi avaliada para o controle de linhagens de B. germanica resistentes a deltametrina. A mistura proporcionou um melhor controle da linhagem suscetível do que os produtos utilizados isoladamente. No entanto, a discriminação entre as linhagens suscetível e resistente a deltametrina foi evidente com a mistura nas doses recomendadas comercialmente, o que inviabilizaria o emprego desta estratégia no manejo da resistência de B. germanica a deltametrina. / Bases for implementing a resistance management program of Blattella germanica (L.) to insecticides were collected in this study. Initially, we compared the topical and residual tarsal-contact bioassays for detecting resistance to deltamethrin and chlorpyrifos. The topical bioassay gave better discrimination between susceptible and field-collected populations of B. germanica. Results from a survey of the susceptibility of B. germanica to insecticides revealed the presence of genetic variability that confers resistance to deltamethrin, chlorpyrifos and fipronil in field-collected populations of B. germanica from the States of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. The resistance ratios to deltamethrin and chlorpyrifos were approximately 43 and 6-fold, respectively. The resistance of B. germanica to deltamethrin was unstable; that is, a significant reduction in the frequency of resistance was detected under absence of selection pressure. Studies on cross-resistance relationships showed a low intensity of cross-resistance (approximately 2-fold) between fipronil and the insecticides deltamethrin and chlorpyrifos. And finally, the viabilility of the use of deltamethrin and chlorpyrifos mixture was evaluated for controlling deltamethrin-resistant strains of B. germanica. The use of mixtures gave better control of the susceptible strain than the use of the products by itself. However, the discrimination between susceptible and resistant strains was clear with the use of mixtures at recommended rates, which impairs the use of this strategy for managing B. germanica resistance to deltamethrin.

O carrapato do boi Rhipicephalus microplus é um ectoparasita de bovinos de grande importância sanitária e econômica, que produz grandes prejuízos na bovinocultura do Brasil. O uso de ivermectina como meio de controle químico, ao longo dos anos, levou à seleção de linhagens de R. microplus resistentes a ivermectina. A consequência desse processo é a perda da eficácia do acaricida. Este trabalho teve por objetivo determinar as bases moleculares da resistência a ivermectina. Para o estudo dos mecanismos envolvidos na resistência a ivermectina de R. microplus foram utilizadas duas cepas de referência: a cepa Mozo, suscetível a ivermectina, e a cepa Juarez, resistente, e duas abordagens experimentais complementares: ensaios enzimáticos com sinergistas e estudos de expressão gênica por meio de sequenciamento massivo em paralelo do RNA ou RNA-Seq. Os resultados deste trabalho permitem afirmar que o mecanismo de desintoxicação metabólica de maior importância é mediado por transportadores ABC, seguido de esterases, glutation-S-transferases e citocromo-oxidases. As diferenças de expressão gênica observadas entre as cepas, e dentro das cepas a diferentes concentrações de ivermectina, confirmam os resultados e permitem concluir que R. microplus apresenta uma resposta poligênica à ivermectina / The cattle tick Rhipicephalus microplus is one of the most important ectoparasites with great sanitary and economic importance for cattle rearing in Brazil. Ivermectin is a drug used in the chemical control of R. microplus. The utilization of ivermectin in the last 30 years has led to the selction of resistant populations of R. microplus, and thus, the loss of efficacy in the cattle tick control. To study the molecular basis of ivermectin resistance in R. microplus, two strains of ticks were used: the susceptible strain Mozo, and the resistant strain Juarez. Two complementary approaches were carried out: enzimatic assays using sinergists and gene expression studies using massive parallel sequencing of RNA or RNA-Seq. The results of this work indicate the involvement of various mechanisms of metabolic resistance. Detoxification mechanisms mediated by ABC transporters are probably the most important. Esterases, gluthathion-S-transferases and citochrome-oxidases play a less important role in detoxification. Differences in gene expression were observed between strains and among samples of the same strain exposed to different concentrations of ivermectin, confirming the result with the assays. Hence, the response of R. microplus to ivermectin is, probably, complex and poligenic

Lufenuron é um novo inseticida do grupo dos inibidores da biossíntese de quitina utilizado para o controle de Spodoptera frugiperda J. E. Smith (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) na cultura do milho. O uso deste inseticida para o controle de S. frugiperda tem aumentado muito nos últimos anos. Este incremento pode ser atribuído à sua alta eficiência e devido ao desenvolvimento da resistência desta praga aos produtos tradicionalmente recomendados para o seu controle (por exemplo, fosforados e piretróides). Neste trabalho, a linha básica de suscetibilidade de S. frugiperda foi obtida com o intuito de implementar um programa proativo de manejo da resistência. Para a caracterização da suscetibilidade de populações de S. frugiperda ao lufenuron, utilizou-se o bioensaio que consistiu no tratamento superficial de dieta artificial. Lagartas de 2° e 3° instar foram expostas à dieta tratada por um período de até 5 dias (120 h). A partir deste estudo concluiu-se que a utilização de lagartas de 3° instar expostas por um período de 4 dias (96 h) foi o procedimento de bioensaio mais adequado. Baseado na curva de concentração-resposta da população suscetível de referência, as concentrações de 3,2 e 10,0 mg de lufenuron / mL de água destilada foram escolhidas para o monitoramento da suscetibilidade. Resultados do monitoramento da suscetibilidade de populações de S. frugiperda provenientes dos principais Estados produtores de milho do Brasil (Rio Grande do Sul, Paraná, São Paulo, Goiás e Minas Gerais) mostraram diferenças significativas quanto à suscetibilidade ao lufenuron. Esses resultados sugerem a necessidade da implementação de estratégias de manejo da resistência para preservar a vida útil do lufenuron no controle de S. frugiperda no Brasil. / Lufenuron is a newly benzoylphenyl urea chitin synthesis inhibitor insecticide. The use of this compound to control Spodoptera frugiperda J. E. Smith (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) has increased significantly in the past years. This increase can be attributed to its high activity against S. frugiperda and to the reduction of efficacy due to resistance to some traditional insecticides (such as phosphates, carbamates and pyrethroids) recommended for controlling this pest. In this study, a baseline susceptibility data of S. frugiperda populations to lufenuron were obtained for implementing a proactive resistance management program. An artificial diet treatment surface bioassay was used to characterize the response to lufenuron in a susceptible strain. Second and third instar larvae were exposed to the treated diet up to 5 days (120 h). A period of 4 days (96 h) and third instar larvae were defined as standard procedures for bioassays. After the characterization of the susceptible population, diagnostic concentrations of 3.2 and 10.0 mg of lufenuron / mL of distilled water were chosen for monitoring the susceptibility. A survey of susceptibility to lufenuron was conducted in field populations of S. frugiperda collected from major corn-growing regio ns located in the States of Rio Grande do Sul, Paraná, São Paulo, Goiás and Minas Gerais. Significant differences in susceptibility to lufenuron were detected among S. frugiperda populations. These results suggest the need to implement resistance management strategies to preserve the lifetime of lufenuron for controlling S. frugiperda in Brazil.