The Evolution of Pesticide Resistance: A Data-Driven Case Study of Chlorantraniliprole Resistance in Chilo suppressalis and Other Lepidopteran Pests in China

Pesticide resistance presents some of the best examples of evolution by natural selection in action. An exceptionally well-documented case from recent years is the evolution of resistance to the diamide chlorantraniliprole in the striped rice stem-borer Chilo suppressalis in China. Prior to the registration of chlorantraniliprole, C. suppressalis had evolved resistance to almost all other available pesticides. Using data from resistance monitoring and laboratory analysis, the quantitative dynamics of chlorantraniliprole resistance evolution in C. suppressalis and other lepidopteran pests in China are collated and analysed. The results reveal the rapid evolution of high levels of chlorantraniliprole resistance in C. suppressalis causing control failure across China, primarily driven by the origin and spread of multiple identified major mutations of the target site. Some of the same mutations also drove the parallel evolution of chlorantraniliprole resistance in other lepidopteran pests. As well as providing an exceptional example of evolution by natural selection in action, the evolution of chlorantraniliprole resistance in C. suppressalis in China also provides a cautionary tale for resistance management.