USING FILTER PAPER TEST FOR DETECTING INHIBITORY FREQUENCY OF ORGANOPHOSPHATE TO ESTERASES IN COTTON APHIDS, APHIS GOSSYPII (GLOVER)

Abstract The individual esterase activity which is measured by filter paper test (FPT) method may determine the resistance of cotton aphids Aphis gossypii (Glover) against organophosphorus (OP) insecticides. For testing accurately resistant level caused by different insecticides, we applied FPT method for measuring inhibitory action of methyl‐parathion, monocrotophos and omethoate to α‐NA esterase of individual cotton aphids, and compared the inhibitory frequencies of these three insecticides to susceptible population (BCA) and resistant population (GCA). Results showed that their inhibitory frequencies of the susceptible population were evidently higher than that of the resistant population. The inhibitory rate of α‐NA esterase in F1 generation individual cotton aphids by monocrotophos was low when the cotton aphid population had been treated in advance with monocrotophos, but it got to 75%‐90% when the cotton aphid population had been untreated in advance with monocrotophos. Besides, the differences in esterase activity were not obvious between them. In same region when cotton aphids were treated with insecticides the inhibitory frequency of esterases in individual by the insecticides was lower than counterparts in individual cotton aphids which were not treated with insecticides. All these demonstrated that inhibitory frequency of α‐NA esterase in individual cotton aphids by OP insecticides could be used as a technique of forecasting pest resistance.