Transgenic potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) lines of two cultivars, Ilam Hardy and Iwa, were developed using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation to transfer a cry1Ac9 gene under the transcriptional control of the CaMV 35S promoter. PCR confirmed the presence of the nptII selectable marker gene in all recovered lines. All ten lines of Ilam Hardy and 14 of 15 Iwa lines were PCR-positive for the cry gene. In greenhouse trials, all Ilam Hardy transgenic lines produced phenotypically normal plants and significantly inhibited larval growth of potato tuber moth (Phthorimaea operculella Zeller). In contrast, only 60% of the Iwa transgenic lines produced phenotypically normal plants, but all lines positive for the cry gene significantly inhibited larval growth. All transgenic lines with a greenhouse appearance equivalent to the nontransgenic controls and improved resistance to potato tuber moth larvae were planted in the field. Three of the ten Ilam Hardy lines and two of the eight Iwa lines retained phenotypically normal appearance in the field and produced tuber yields equivalent to the nontransgenic controls. All five of these transgenic lines significantly inhibited larval growth of potato tuber moth on excised field-grown leaves. A high correlation was established between larval growth indices from the greenhouse and the field. A transgenic line from each cultivar inhibited larval growth by over 40%, and the line derived from Ilam Hardy prevented pupation of all larvae. Southern analysis on these five elite lines revealed that they contained either one or two copies of the cry1Ac9 gene. The amount of Cry protein in all transgenic lines tested was less than 60 ng·g-1 of fresh leaf tissue. A transgenic line from each cultivar was identified with comparable phenotypic appearance and yield to their parent cultivars coupled with high resistance to PTM.

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The effect of pyridine compounds on the capture of thrips was examined in an Auckland New Zealand capsicum greenhouse in 2004 Yellow sticky traps were positioned just above the crop canopy in a rectangular array with 6 traps per compound and 6 control traps 2024 m apart and left for 24 h Most thrips found on traps were Frankliniella occidentalis (>99) Fourteen times more female F occidentalis were captured on traps with methyl isonicotinate or ethyl isonicotinate than on controls Sticky traps treated with methyl 4pyridyl ketone also caught more female F occidentalis than controls (45) Sticky traps with methyl isonicotinate caught more male F occidentalis (up to 52) than controls Ethyl2chloropyridine4carboxylate and ethyl nicotinate did not increase trap catches of either sex The results demonstrated that selected pyridine compounds have the potential to improve trap capture of F occidentalis in a covered crop

Measuring pollen deposition onto stigmas by insects is one technique used to assess pollinator effectiveness but it can be unpredictable and timeconsuming as insects must visit test flowers This study examined whether a measurement of pollen grains from flowervisiting insects could be used to predict pollen deposited on stigmas Individuals were collected from four bee and six fly species as they visited pak choi flowers in commercial and trial seed fields to assess their body pollen Pollen was removed from insects by pressing their bodies (excluding activelycollected pollen on bees hind legs) with a cube of gelatinefuchsin In this study there appears to be a strong correlation between mean estimated pollen counts for each insect species and previously published data recording mean number of pollen grains deposited on stigmas for the same species Therefore the measurement of pollen grains directly from flowervisiting insects shows potential as a quicker and easier technique to assess pollinator effectiveness as insects can be directly collected from flowers