Resistance comparison of domesticated silkworm (Bombyx mori L.) and wild silkworm (Bombyx mandarina M.) to phoxim insecticide

Abstract

In this study, the resistance difference to phoxim between Bombyx mori L. andBombyx mandarina M was investigated.  For the both silkworm species, the whole body of each larval were collected, and on the third day of the 5th instar, the brain, midgut, fat bodies, and silk gland were collected for enzymatic activity assay of acetylcholinesterase (AChE). Our results showed that in the early larval stages, the resistance difference to phoxim was not significant between the two species. However, in the 4th and 5th instar, the resistance differences showed significant increase. When compared to B. mori L, the LC50 of B. mandarina was 4.43 and 4.02-fold higher in the 4th and 5th instar, respectively. From the 1st to 5th instar, the enzymatic activities of AChE of B. mandarina were 1.60, 1.65, 1.81, 1.93 and 2.28-fold higher than that of B. mori, respectively. For the brain, midgut, fat body, and silk gland on the third day of the 5th instar, the enzymatic activity ratios of B. mandarinato B. mori were 1.90, 2.23, 2.76, and 2.78, respectively. The AChE-I50 values of B. mori and B. mandarina detected by eserine method were 5.02 × 10-7 and 5.23 × 10-7 mol/L, respectively. Thus, our results indicate that the higher enzymatic activities of AChE and the insensitivity to specific inhibitor of the enzyme might be the underlying mechanisms for higher phoxim resistance in B. mandarina.   Key words: Bombyx mori L., Bombyx mandarina M., phoxim, acetylcholinesterase activity, resistance.