INSECTICIDE RESISTANCE IN ITALIAN POPULATIONS OF THE PEACH POTATO APHID MYZUS PERSICAE (SULZER) (HEMIPTERA, APHIDIDAE).

Research on insecticide resistance in Myzus persicae (Sulzer) in Italy was started by the Institute of Entomologyand Plant Pathology of the \u201cUniversit\ue0 Cattolica del Sacro Cuore\u201d in Piacenza (Northern Italy) in the early 1990s. Nowcontinuously reared cultures of about 100 populations, collected mainly from Italian peach orchards, are available.Insecticide resistance mechanisms in these populations have been characterised. Close collaboration with other Italianresearchers was started to combine different research techniques. This has allowed the discovery in the sodium channelgene of a new mutation (F979S) that increases resistance to pyrethroid insecticides. Esterase- and modified acetylcholinesterase-based resistance has also been investigated