What causes resistance?

What causes resistance?

• A. Frequent application of different chemistries in rotation.
• B. Natural mutation unrelated to pesticide use.
• C. Repeated use of same chemical class.
• D. Predatory pressure.

Answer: (C)

Resistance develops when a pest population is exposed repeatedly to the same chemical class. Each time the same mode of action is used, individuals with even slight tolerance survive and reproduce, passing those traits to their offspring. Over time, the frequency of resistance traits in the population rises, making that chemical less effective. Rotating chemistries with different modes of action helps prevent this by avoiding consistent selection for a single resistance mechanism. Natural mutations can occur, but they only become resistance if pesticides create the selective pressure; predatory pressure is a different ecological force and does not drive pesticide resistance.

Resistance develops when a pest population is exposed repeatedly to the same chemical class. Each time the same mode of action is used, individuals with even slight tolerance survive and reproduce, passing those traits to their offspring. Over time, the frequency of resistance traits in the population rises, making that chemical less effective. Rotating chemistries with different modes of action helps prevent this by avoiding consistent selection for a single resistance mechanism. Natural mutations can occur, but they only become resistance if pesticides create the selective pressure; predatory pressure is a different ecological force and does not drive pesticide resistance.