Resistance management concerns for areawide management programs

Areawide pest management involves the application of a pest control strateg y over wide geographic areas, requires a high degree of grower compliance, and relies on uniform exposure of pest populations. Therefore, the selectiv e pressures and the associated risk for development of resistance may be ex tremely high. Some of the attributes of areawide management are incompatibl e with many conventional resistance management techniques. Reliance on biol ogically based control tactics such as behavior-disrupting chemicals, howev er, may provide effective resistance management because of the complexity a nd number of potential target sites associated with the response. Recogniti on of the risk of resistance and a proactive stance on resistance managemen t will help to preserve the effectiveness of areawide management programs.