Quantitative genetic analysis of insecticide resistance: variation in fenvalerate tolerance in a diamondback moth (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) population

Tolerance to the pyrethroid fenvalerate in a diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.), population was analyzed by quantitative genetic techniques. F1 offspring of field-collected individuals were reared in laboratory as full sibling families and tested for tolerance to fenvalerate residues. Mortality varied extensively among families, indicating a genetic component. Variation in mortality at 48 h was essentially continuous and not significantly different from a normal distribution, suggesting that the heritable variation is polygenic. Heritability of fenvalerate tolerance was approximately less than or equal to 0.20. Reuults from probit analysis suggest that substantial variation in insecticide tolerance is common within insect populations. Quantitative genetic techniques may be useful for estimating the genetic component of variation in tolerance within populations