Project Number: 3625-22000-015-00
Project Type: Appropriated

Start Date: Feb 07, 2003
End Date: Aug 31, 2005

Objective:
1) Define molecular and population genetics, and ecological factors impacting insect resistance management; 2) Define the impact of transgenic corn in corn agroecosystems including risk assessment on nontargets, e.g., insects, earthworms, a number of other invertebrates, and entomopathogens; and 3) Define the trophic relationships between insect pests of corn, indigenous micro and macro biological control organisms, corn plants, and the environment.

Approach:
Will establish families and colonies of insects with differential expression of resistance to insecticidal proteins produced by transgenic corn. Crosses of field-collected adults and analyses of F2 families will be used to recover resistance alleles from the field and examine potential cross resistance between insecticidal proteins. Map genetic factors associated with resistance to insecticidal proteins to linkage groups. Agronomic sources of corn insect refuge will be tested including popcorn and a variety of plants distantly related to corn. Anthers from transgenic corn and an isoline will be fed to monarch larvae. Larval growth rate, mortality, and behavior will be recorded. Paired transgenic and non-transgenic corn fields will be used to evaluate effects on non-targets other than the monarch. Pitfall traps, sticky traps, Berlese litter samples, and visual examination of plants will be used to generate data. Also, indigenous insect pathogens, Nosema pyrausta and B. bassiana will be intensely sampled. B. bassiana will be applied in furrow and over the row at planting, and corn will be assayed for colonization by the fungus. Insects infected with Nosema pyrausta and free of the disease will be used to infest transgenic and isoline corn. Data will be collected on survival of these insects on the different cultivars. Transgenic and isoline corn crop residue will be fed to earthworms. Data will be collected on growth rates and survival. BL-1; Recertified March 24, 2004.

Project Team

Hellmich, Richard Lewis, Leslie Sumerford, Douglas Sappington, Thomas

Project Annual Reports

FY 2003

Related National Programs

Integrated Farming Systems (207)   Crop Protection & Quarantine (304)

Related Projects

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