• Korean journal of applied entomology
• /
• v.60 no.2
• /
• pp.167-173
• /
• 2021

Sweet potato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) is an insect pest with sucking mouth part and globally attacks diverse crops and vegetables. Since first reported in 1998, it is now widely spread in many regions in Korea. Due to insecticide resistance, it is necessary for optimal control of the whiteflies to select effective insecticides with precise insecticide resistance monitoring. In this study, B. tabaci individuals were collected from 12 regions in 7 provinces of Korea from June to September in 2020. Using these field populations, insecticide resistance levels were monitored using a residual contact bioassay along with molecular markers. Bioassay results revealed that B. tabaci possessed high levels of resistance to five insecticides exhibiting different modes of action: dinotefuran, spinosad, emamectin benzoate, chlorfenapyr, and bifenthrin. In addition, quantitative sequencing in target sites of organophosphate and pyrethroid insecticides revealed that point mutations reached to saturated or near-saturated levels across the country. This suggests that insecticide resistance management is required for effective control of B. tabaci populations in Korea.