Susceptibility monitoring and the molecular characterization of resistance of Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) to lambda-cyhalothrin and chlorpyrifos

Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) is a serious and widespread agricultural pest with several records of resistance to different insecticides and Bt proteins, including the neurotoxic insecticides chlorpyrifos (organophosphate) and lambda-cyhalothrin (pyrethroid). In this study, we (i) characterized and monitored the susceptibility of field populations of S. frugiperda to chlorpyrifos (194 populations) and lambda-cyhalothrin (197 populations) collected from major maize-growing regions of Brazil from 2003 to 2016, and (ii) compared gene expression levels of chlorpyrifos- and lambda-cyhalothrin-resistant strains to a susceptible reference strain ( Sf-ss ) of S. frugiperda . Laboratory-guided assays to monitor larval susceptibility detected average survival ranging from 29.3% to 36.0% to chlorpyrifos, and 23.1% to 68.0% to lambda-cyhalothrin at diagnostic concentration, based on LC99 of the susceptible reference strain of each insecticide. The resistance ratio of the chlorpyrifos-resistant strain ( Clo-rr ) was 25.4-fold and of the lambda-cyhalothrin-resistant strain ( Lam-rr ) was 217-fold. Differential gene expression analyses between resistant vs susceptible strains identified 1,098 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between Clo-rr and Sf-ss , and 303 DEGs between Lam-rr and Sf-ss . Functional analyses of the DEGs revealed the up-regulation of several detoxification enzymes, mainly cytochrome P450 belonging to the CYP3 and CYP6 clans. Genes associated with regulatory processes, such as the forkhead box O (FoxO) were also up-regulated. Our data points that the resistance mechanisms of Clo-rr and Lam-rr strains of S. frugiperda to chlorpyrifos and lambda-cyhalothrin are mainly mediated by enzyme detoxification. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.