Mode of inheritance and stability of resistance toBacillus thuringiensis varkurstaki in a diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella) population from Malaysia

Genetic inheritance of resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis var kurstaki (BTK) was examined in a diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella) population collected from the Melaka region of Malaysia. A BTK-selected sub-population (BTK-SEL) which was more than 100-fold resistant to BTK compared with a susceptible (ROTH) population of P xylostella was used with standard reciprocal crosses and back-crosses between ROTH and BTK-SEL. Logit regression analysis of F 1 reciprocal crosses indicated that BTK resistance was inherited as an incompletely recessive autosomal trait and controlled by a single locus. In contrast, other studies have shown that resistance to Cry1Ac is inherited as an incompletely dominant autosomal trait in a Cry1Ac-selected sub-population of the same Melaka population. The frequency of the allele responsible for resistance decreased without exposure to insecticide in the laboratory.