Identification of molecular markers to detect insecticide resistance in Spodoptera frugiperda and Euschistus heros and the role of the insect microbiome in resistance

Abstract

Insecticide resistance represents a growing threat to the sustainability of Brazilian agriculture, and strategies to prevent, delay or overcome resistance are urgently required. The development of effective approaches to combat resistance, however, has been constrained by a lack of knowledge of the underlying mechanisms of resistance in key pests of Brazilian agri-ecosystems. The overarching aim of this stage 2 project is to address this knowledge gap by 1) exploiting new genomic and transcriptomic resources (generated in the stage 1 project) to understand the molecular basis of resistance in the neotropical brown stink bug, Euschistus heros, and the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, and 2) translate this knowledge into tools and strategies to combat resistance.