Resistance is defined as a change in the sensitivity of a pest population to a pesticide. Pesticides are substances that control various types of pests, such as weeds, harmful insects, disease-causing organisms like bacteria, fungi nematodes, rodents etc. Resistance to pesticides is a serious and growing problem. Worldwide, more than 600 species of pests have developed some level of pesticide resistance.
Many conditions like weather, incorrect timing, and application, equipment malfunction, etc. may result in the failure of any pesticide to control the target pest in any unit area. A proportion of the pest population may also be able to survive exposure to the material due to their distinct genetic makeup. These individuals pass along the genes for resistance to the next generation. These rare resistant individuals can reproduce and pass on their resistance to the offspring.
Resistance can also develop when the same pesticide or similar ones with the same mode of action are used again and again.
Over time many pesticides have gradually lost their effectiveness because pests have developed resistance – a significant decrease in sensitivity to a pesticide, which reduces the field performance of these pesticides.
The objective of resistance management is to prevent or at least slow the accumulation of resistant individuals in pest populations, so as to preserve the effectiveness of available pesticides.
A coordinated effort of growers, agricultural extension, academic researchers, scientific societies, pesticide regulatory authority, and pesticide companies needed to address the problem.
Continual Research to identify resistance development of a particular pest species to any pesticide that occurred under conditions of use, application rate and methods specified in the pesticide label is essential to prevent the development of resistant pests.
We must conduct the necessary program to educate growers on resistance problems and case-specific measures to prevent widespread of resistant pests in the field.