Resistance Of Stored Product Coleoptera Pests To Deltamethrin, Pirimiphos-Methyl, And Phosphine In The European Union

EU-funded project novIGRain (Horizon 2020 - ID: 101000663) conducted an extensive survey aimed at testing the occurrence of resistance among six key species of storage pests: Rhyzopertha dominica, Sitophilus granarius, S. oryzae, Tribolium castaneum, T. confusum, and Oryzaephilus surinamensis. The survey and laboratory resistance testing specifically focused on evaluating their resistance to three widely used insecticides—phosphine, the pyrethroid deltamethrin, and the organophosphate pirimiphos-methyl—across multiple EU countries. Resistance to one or more of the tested active ingredients was found in all species. The highest frequency of resistance was found in the toxic phosphine fumigant, while the lowest resistance was recorded for pirimiphos-methyl. The most frequently resistant populations were found in T. castaneum and R. dominica, while the least resistant were populations of O. surinamensis and S. granarius. In addition to our fieldwork, we conducted a survey and analysis of the published current and historical data on resistance of the six key storage pests to the main pesticide groups, including phosphine, in Europe. Data on resistance to three insecticide groups—phosphine, pyrethroids, and organophosphates—are missing for approximately 46% of EU countries, 75% of non-EU European countries, and 61% of all European countries overall, across six species of stored product pests.