Insecticide and miticide modes of action
The accompanying table lists insecticide active ingredients currently available for crop protection in New Zealand in groups according to shared risk from resistance development in target pests. The group codes are intended for use on pesticide labels to help in the prevention and management of pesticide resistance in New Zealand. Information used in constructing these tables came from publicly available information from the Insecticide Resistance Action Committee and CropLife Australia.
The New Zealand Committee on Pesticide Resistance (NZCPR) is a subcommittee of the New Zealand Plant Protection Society (NZPPS). Neither NZCPR or NZPPS guarantees that the information in these tables is accurate or up-to-date or accepts any liability for loss or damage arising from the use information contained in these tables.
Use of Group Codes on pesticide product labels
For any product that contains an active ingredient at risk from resistance development, the product label should include a statement about resistance prevention or management. This statement should begin with the mode of action or activity group(s) of the at-risk ingredient(s), as in the following example:
Resistance prevention or management
Product_name contains the GROUP 16 insecticide, buprofezin. Do not use another product containing an insecticide in the same group in conjunction with Product_name when applying the resistance prevention or management guidelines below.
[Details of the resistance guidelines for this product then follow]
| Group Code | Mode of Action Group | Chemical Sub-group or exemplifying Active Ingredient | Active Ingredient 1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nerve and muscle action | |||
| 1 | Acetylcholine esterase inhibitors | 1A Carbamates 2 |
carbaryl formetanate furathiocarb 3 methomyl pirimicarb thiodicarb 3 |
| 1B Organophosphates 2 |
acephate chlorpyrifos diazinon dichlorvos 4 dimethoate maldison methamidophos pirimiphos-methyl |
||
| 2 | GABA-gated chloride channel antagonists | 2A Cyclodiene Organochlorines |
No registered actives |
| 2B Phenylpyrazoles (Fiproles) |
fipronil | ||
| 3 | Sodium channel modulators | 3A Pyrethroids, Pyrethrins |
acrinathrin alpha-cypermethrin bifenthrin cypermethrin deltamethrin flumethrin lambda-cyhalothrin permethrin pyrethrins tau fluvalinate |
| 3B DDT, methoxychlor |
No registered actives | ||
| 4 | Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) competitive modulators | 4A Neonicotinoids |
clothianidin 3 imidacloprid thiacloprid thiamethoxam |
| 4B Nicotine |
No registered actives | ||
| 4C Sulfoxaflor |
Sulfoxaflor | ||
| 4D Butenolides |
No registered actives | ||
| 4E Mesoionics |
No registered actives | ||
| 4F Pyridylidenes |
No registered actives | ||
| 5 | Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) allosteric modulators site 1 | Spinosyns | spinetoram spinosad |
| 6 | Glutamate-gated chloride channel (GluCl) allosteric modulators | Avermectins | abamectin emamectin benzoate |
| Milbemycins | milbemectin |
||
| 9 | Chlordotonal organ TRPV channel modulators | 9B Pyridine azomethine derivatives |
pymetrozine |
| 9D Pryopenes |
No registered actives | ||
| 14 | Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) channel blockers | Nereistoxin analogues | No registered actives |
| 19 | Octopamine receptor agonists | Amitraz | amitraz 4 |
| 22 | Voltage-dependent sodium channel blockers | 22A Oxadiazines |
indoxacarb |
| 22B Semicarbazones |
No registered active | ||
| 28 | Ryanodine receptor modulators | Diamides | chlorantraniliprole cyantraniliprole tetraniliprole |
| 29 | Chordotonal organ nicotinamidase inhibitors | Flonicamid | flonicamid |
| 30 | GABA-gated chloride channel allosteric modulators | Meta diamides Isoxazolines |
No registered actives |
| 32 | Nicotinic Acetylchloline Receptor modulators | GS- omega/kappa | No registered actives |
| 33 | Calcium activated potassium channel modulators | Acynonapyr | No registered actives |
| 36 | Chordotonal organ modulators – undefined target site |
Dimpropyridaz | No registered actives |
| Growth and development | |||
| 7 | Juvenile hormone mimics | 7A Juvenile hormone analogues |
No registered actives |
| 7B Fenoxycarb |
No registered actives | ||
| 7C Pyriproxyfen |
pyriproxyfen | ||
| 10 | Mite growth inhibitors | 10A Clofentezine, Diflovidazin Hexythiazox |
clofentezine hexythiazox |
| 10B Etoxazole |
etoxazole | ||
| 15 | Inhibitors of chitin biosynthesis affecting CHS1 | Benzoylureas | diflubenzuron lufenuron novaluron |
| 16 | Inhibitors of chitin biosynthesis, type 1, Homopteran | Buprofezin | buprofezin |
| 17 | Moulting disruptors, Dipteran | Cyromazine | cyromazine |
| 18 | Ecdysone receptor agonists | Diacylhydrazines | tebufenozide methoxyfenozide |
| 23 | Inhibitors of acetyl CoA carboxylase | Tetronic and Tetramic acid derivatives | spiromesifen spirotetramat |
| Midgut | |||
| 11 | Microbial disrupters of insect midgut membranes (Includes transgenic crops expressing Bacillus thuringiensis toxins) | 11A Bacillus thuringiensis and the insecticidal proteins produced |
B.t. aizawai B.t. kurstaki |
| 11B Bacillus sphaericus |
No registered actives | ||
| 31 | Baculoviruses | Granuloviruses and Nucleopolyhedroviruses | Cydia pomonella granulosis virus |
| Respiration | |||
| 12 | Inhibitors of mitochondrial ATP synthase | 12A Diafenthiuron |
No registered actives |
| 12B Organotin miticides |
No registered actives | ||
| 12C Propargite |
propargite | ||
| 12D Tetradifon |
No registered actives | ||
| 13 | Uncoupler of oxidative phosphorylation via disruption of the proton gradient | Pyrroles Dinitrophenols Sulfuramid |
No registered actives |
| 20 | Mitochondrial complex III electron transport inhibitors – Qo site | 20A Hydramethylnon |
No registered actives |
| 20B Acequinocyl |
No registered actives | ||
| 20C Fluacrypyrim |
No registered actives | ||
| 20D Bifenazate |
No registered actives | ||
| 21 | Mitochondrial complex I electron transport inhibitors | 21A METI acaricides and insecticides |
fenpyroximate |
| 21B Rotenone |
rotenone | ||
| 24 | Mitochondrial complex IV electron transport inhibitors | 24A Phosphides |
aluminium phosphide phosphine 5 |
| 24B Cyanides |
hydrogen cyanide | ||
| 25 | Mitochondrial complex II electron transport inhibitors | 25A Beta-ketonitrile derivatives |
No registered actives |
| 25B Carboxanilides |
No registered actives | ||
| 34 | Mitochondrial complex III electron transport inhibitors – Qi site | Flometoquin | No registered actives |
| Unknown or non-specific | |||
| 8 | Miscellaneous non-specific (multi-site) inhibitors | 8A Alkyl halides |
methyl bromide 5 |
| 8B Chloropicrin |
chloropicrin 5 | ||
| 8C Sulfuryl fluoride |
No registered actives | ||
| 8D Borates |
No registered actives | ||
| 8E Tartar emetic |
No registered actives | ||
| 8F Methyl isothiocyanate generators |
dazomet metam 5 |
||
| UN 6 | Compounds of unknown or uncertain mode of action | Azadirachtin | azadirachtin |
| Sulfurs | sulfur (lime sulfur) | ||
| UNB 7 | Entomopathogenic bacteria | Serratia entomophila | S. entomophila strain 626 |
| Chromobacterium subtsugae | C. subtsugae strain PRAA4-1T | ||
| UNE | Botanical essence including synthetic, extracts and unrefined oils | neem oil | |
| UNF | Entomopathogenic fungi | Beauveria bassiana | B. bassiana strains ATCC74040, K4B3 & K4B1 |
| Verticillium lecanii | V. lecanii strain K4V2 | ||
| UNM | Non-specific mechanical and physical disruptors | Diatomaceous earth Mineral oils |
|
1Active ingredients listed for all groups are those registered as insecticides or miticides for use on plants or their products at the time of compilation of this table (January 2024). Any fungicide that exhibits activity against insects or mites has been excluded as have some insecticidal products, e.g., insecticidal soaps and oils for which there is currently little concern about resistance development. If there is a question about resistance or cross-resistance from older active ingredients no longer available in New Zealand, then refer to the IRAC table (www.irac-online.org) to determine the mode of action group to which they belong.
2 All members of Group Code 1 may not be cross resistant. Refer to the IRAC table for further information on cross-resistance.
3 Seed treatment only
4 Treated strips for biosecurity or beehive use only.
5 Fumigant
6A compound with an unknown or controversial mode of action or an unknown mode of toxicity will be held on a group 'UN' until evidence becomes available to enable that compound to be assigned to a more appropriate mode of action group.
7Microorganisms with entomopathogenic properties that are yet to be classified or beneficial organisms. These are not listed by IRAC as yet.
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