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Abstract
The sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) cryptic species Middle East-Asia Minor 1 (MEAM1), emerged as an invasive and destructive pest of horticultural and agronomic crops in Georgia and South Carolina in 1991 despite the originally described species being reported in the USA back in 1894. Imidacloprid, a neonicotinoid insecticide, initially effective for the control of MEAM1, began losing efficacy in the Southeastern USA, resulting in a shift toward newer insecticide classes, such as the diamides, particularly the insecticide cyantraniliprole. In Georgia, recent economic losses surpassed USD 132.3 million annually, likely due in part to increased resistance to existing and new insecticide chemistries. To understand the distribution of insecticide resistance throughout southern Georgia and the potential impacts of host plants on developing/maintaining resistance to these classes, several experiments were designed using quick assays that could also predict potential control failures. The goals of this study were to 1) standardize toxicological bioassays for whitefly adult response, 2) conduct a Georgia survey of insecticide responses to imidacloprid and cyantraniliprole, 3) test for crop effects on whitefly’s response to cyantraniliprole and imidacloprid, and 4) screen field populations for known insecticide resistance genes.