Investigating the status of pyrethroid resistance in UK populations of the cabbage stem flea beetle (Psylliodes chrysocephala)

The cabbage stem flea beetle, Psylliodes chrysocephala L. is a major pest of winter oilseed rape in several European countries. Traditionally, neonicotinoid and pyrethroid insecticides have been widely used for control of P. chrysocephala, but in recent years, following the withdrawal of neonicotinoid insecticide seed treatments, control failures have occurred due to an over reliance on pyrethroids. In line with previous surveys, UK populations of P. chrysocephala were found to exhibit high levels of resistance to the pyrethroid lambda-cyhalothrin. This resistance was suppressed by pre-treatment with the cytochrome P450 inhibitor PBO under laboratory conditions, suggesting that the resistance has a strong metabolic component. The L1014F (kdr) mutation in the voltage-gated sodium channel, which confers relatively low levels (10-20 fold) of resistance to pyrethroids, was also found to be widespread across the UK regions sampled, whereas the L925I (s-kdr) mutation was also present but much less common. The current survey also suggests that higher levels of pyrethroid resistance have spread to the North and West of England, and that resistance levels continue to remain high in the South East.