1Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Botswana, Private Bag UB, 0704, Gaborone, Botswana
2Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, University of Botswana, Private Bag UB, 0704, Gaborone, Botswana
*Email: mitchlaila@gmail.com (corresponding author):
Online published on 13 March, 2026.
A study was conducted to establish acaricide detoxification enzymes activity among carmine spider mite (Acari: Tetranychidae) strains collected from commercial tomato fields in seven geographical locations of Botswana. The highest levels of α-esterase activity (nmol/ min/ mg of protein-1) were observed in the Bela-bela strain, followed by the Sikwane strain. The Sikwane strain showed enhanced β-esterase activity, followed by the Glen Valley and Francistown strains. Elevated levels of GSTs were observed in the Francistown strain, Moshupa and Bela-bela farms. The Francistown strain showed the highest CYP450 activity followed by Bobonong and Sikwane. Variation in detoxification enzyme activities among T. cinnabarinus strains can be attributed to differing pesticide application regimes in these regions. These findings may be helpful in the selection of acaricides and in developing effective resistance management strategies for T. cinnabarinus in tomato fields in Botswana.
Acaricide resistance, Esterases, Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases, Glutathione S- transferases, Tetranychus cinnabarinus, Tomato, Resistance management
