Journal or Publishing Institution: Journal of Economic Entomology
Study: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20069826
Author(s): Tabashnik, B.E., Van Rensburg, J.B.J. and Carrière, Y.
Article Type: Journal Publication
Record ID: 1913
Abstract: Transgenic crops producing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxins for insect pest control have been successful, but their efficacy is reduced when pests evolve resistance. Here we review the definition of field-evolved resistance, the relationship between resistance and field control problems, the theory underlying strategies for delaying resistance, and resistance monitoring methods. We also analyze resistance monitoring data from five continents reported in 41 studies that evaluate responses of field populations of 11 lepidopteran pests to four Bt toxins produced by Bt corn and cotton. After more than a decade since initial commercialization of Bt crops, most target pest populations remain susceptible, whereas field-evolved resistance has been documented in some populations of three noctuid moth species: Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) to Cry1F in Bt corn in Puerto Rico, Busseola fusca (Fuller) to CrylAb in Bt corn in South Africa, and Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) to CrylAc and Cry2Ab in Bt cotton in the southeastern United States. Field outcomes are consistent with predictions from theory, suggesting that factors delaying resistance include recessive inheritance of resistance, abundant refuges of non-Bt host plants, and two-toxin Bt crops deployed separately from one-toxin Bt crops. The insights gained from systematic analyses of resistance monitoring data may help to enhance the durability of transgenic insecticidal crops. We recommend continued use of the longstanding definition of resistance cited here and encourage discussions about which regulatory actions, if any, should be triggered by specific data on the magnitude, distribution, and impact of field-evolved resistance.
Keywords: Resistance, Genetically Engineered Crops, Transgenic Crops, Bacillus thuringiensis, Evolution; Plant Pests, Crops, Insect Pests, Insect Control, Transgenic Plants, Plant-Incorporated Protectants, Bacterial Insecticides, Bacterial Toxins, Bacillus thuringiensis, Insecticide Resistance, Inheritance (Genetics), Evolution, Spodoptera frugiperda, Busseola fusca, Helicoverpa zea, Resistance Management, Risk Assessment, Pest Monitoring, Methodology, Data Collection, Data Analysis; Arthropods, Gossypium, Helicoverpa armigera, Insects, Noctuidae, Plants, Spodoptera; Arthropod Pests, Cotton, Durability, Effects, Entomopathogenic Bacteria, Entomopathogens, Genetic Engineering, Genetic Transformation, Genetically Engineered Organisms, Host Plants, Hosts, Inheritance, Insect Pests, Maize, Monitoring, Natural Enemies, Pathogens, Pest Control, Toxins, Transgenics; African Cotton Bollworm, Bacillus, Bacterium, Genetic Manipulation, Genetically Engineered Plants, Genetically Modified Organisms, Genetically Modified Plants, GEOs, GMOs, Hostplants, Pest Arthropods, Pest Insects, Plant Hosts, Porto Rico, Subsaharan Africa, Surveillance Systems, Transgenic Organisms, Fall Armyworm; Animals, Bacterial Proteins, Agricultural Crops, Endotoxins, Molecular Evolution, Hemolysin Proteins, Host-Parasite Interactions, Insecticides, Larva, Moths, Genetically Modified Plants; Genetics, Parasitology
Citation: Tabashnik, B.E., Van Rensburg, J.B.J. and Carrière, Y., 2009. Field-evolved insect resistance to Bt crops: definition, theory, and data. Journal of Economic Entomology, 102(6), pp.2011-2025.
