Managing agricultural pests and arresting the resistance treadmill relies not only in modifying the way insecticides are used but more importantly maintaining chemical diversity (albeit through managed restrictions), and most fundamentally integrating chemical control with other pest-management options. With a complete restriction on the use of neonicotinoid seed dressings within the short to medium term a realistic possibility, the diversity of options available to growers to manage the buildup of resistant pest populations will reduce dramatically. This study presents data from on-going research in Ireland on pest management approaches to address knock down resistance in the grain
aphid Sitobion avenae (Fabricius), a significant vector of barley yellow dwarfing virus in cereal crops.
Preliminary findings indicate that the use of ‘non-pyrethroid insecticides’ is associated with a lower
incidence of heterozygote resistant grain aphid. This approach combined with an increased awareness
of Integrated Pest Management and implementation of cultural control approaches among cereal
producers, may provide a strategy for increased management of grain aphid resistance.