Neonicotinoid Insecticides Alter Induced Defenses and Increase Susceptibility to Spider Mites in Distantly Related Crop Plants
Figure 4
Effect of the neonicotinoid insecticides on abundance of spider mites on cotton, corn, and tomato.
Spider mites increased in abundance on all three plants exposed to the insecticides. Abundance of the herbivores on cotton (N = 8) and corn (N = 10) plants increased by nearly 30% (A) and 60% (B) following applications of the neonicotinoid insecticides. Tomato plants (N = 5) treated with imidacloprid had over twice as many spider mites as untreated tomatoes (C). Values are means±one standard error. Asterisks mark means that are significantly different (P<0.05; ANOVA, mixed model).