Resistance management

• Over time, pests can develop resistance to the products used against them, if use is not managed appropriately
  
  
• Resistance Management is undertaken within the context of an Integrated Pest Management Strategy
  
  
• The plant science industry supports specialist technical groups to provide information and advice on resistance management for fungicides, herbicides and insecticides
  

Pest populations have the potential to develop resistance to the crop protection products used against them, particularly if they are regularly treated with a single product. The result is that once effective products are no longer able to control the pest and have to be replaced.  The crop protection industry views resistance as an important threat that must to tackled proactively, through resistance management programmes.  Resistance management is undertaken within an effective Integrated Pest Management strategy.

Resistance can be described as an inheritable change in the sensitivity of a pest population to a product, resulting in repeated failure of the product to achieve an effective level of control when used according to the label recommendations.  Any species has the potential to develop resistance to a particular compound if it is regularly controlled using that product alone. Those naturally more resistant individuals which survive treatment are selected to pass on this resistance to later generations.

Reliable information and data on resistance is an essential element of a successful resistance management programme.  Different bioassay and biochemical tests are used to identify and characterise resistance.  Based on results from these tests, appropriate strategies and advice can be developed to avoid the problem.

Integrated Pest Management offers a combination of tools, which will reduce the risk that resistance will develop in pest populations.  This includes monitoring pest populations and applying treatments only when necessary and implementing strategies such as alternating or mixing compatible crop protection products having different modes of action.  Some regulatory authorities require appropriate resistance management strategies to be available.  It is apparent that, in many cases this requires a range of products to be registered and available for use to achieve this.

The plant science industry supports specialist technical groups which monitor and provide advice on resistance issues – the Resistance Action Committees (RACs) that deal with Fungicides, Herbicides, Insecticides and Rodenticides (FRAC, HRAC, IRAC and RRAC). 

Further information on resistance management can be found at their respective websites:

Fungicide Resistance Action Committee

Herbicide Resistance Action Committee

Insecticide Resistance Action Committee