Biotechnology Bulletin ›› 2024, Vol. 40 ›› Issue (4): 40-51.doi: 10.13560/j.cnki.biotech.bull.1985.2023-1052

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Research Progress in the Evolution Mechanisms for Insect Resistance to Insecticides and Bt-transgenic Plants

PENG Yu-jia(), LI Wen-cui, LIU Yong-bo()   

  1. State Environment Protection Key Laboratory of Regional Ecological Process and Functional Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012
  • Received:2023-11-09 Online:2024-04-26 Published:2024-04-30
  • Contact: LIU Yong-bo E-mail:z2544931043@163.com;liuyb@craes.org.cn

Abstract:

To reduce the damage to crop from insects, some agricultural practices have been used such as spraying insecticides and planting Bt-transgenic insect-resistant plants. However, since insecticides are continuously sprayed and Bt-transgenic insect-resistant plants are continuously cultivated at large scales, target insects tend to evolve the resistance to insecticides and insect-resistant plants. This insect-resistance evolution of target insects not only decrease the insect-control effectiveness of insecticides and transgenic plants but also affect the functional services in agricultural ecosystems. Here, we reviewed the molecular mechanisms of insect resistance to chemical and microbial insecticides and Bt-transgenic plants. Insects evolve resistance to chemical insecticides via decreasing the sensitivity of target sites and enhancing the activities of detoxifying enzymes in insects, resistance to microbial insecticides via activating immune systems and changing symbiotic flora in insects, and resistance to Bt-transgenic plants via downregulating midgut binding receptors and decreasing midgut protease activities in insects. To delay the resistance evolution of insects and increase the insect-control efficiency of insecticides, it is urgent to systematically control agricultural insects through reducing the use of chemical insecticides and to increasing the integrative use of broad-spectrum and high-activity microbial insecticides as well as insect-resistant plants.

Key words: insect control, chemical insecticides, microbial insecticides, Bt-transgenic plants, resistance mechanism