Effects of tebuconazole on insecticidal activity and symbionts in brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens (Hemiptera: Delphacidae)

Abstract

Harnessing symbionts as targets for pest management is an emerging and promising strategy that can contribute to sustainable agriculture and environmental protection. Brown planthopper (BPH), a major rice pest, significantly threatens crop yields and quality. In this study, we discovered that BPHs exhibited a significant increase in mortality after consuming the fungicide tebuconazole, indicating its direct toxic effect. Tebuconazole negatively impacts the body weight, digestive enzyme activity, and reproductive capacity in BPHs, and it also leads to a significant downregulation of the expression levels of the ecdysteroid biosynthetic genes. The number of symbionts and the expression level of Noda in the BPH treated with tebuconazole was significantly reduced. Sequencing results showed that tebuconazole had a significant effect on the richness of symbiotic fungi and bacteria in BPH. As a fungicide, tebuconazole can offer new approaches and insights for managing resistance and integrated pest control.