Evaluation of Corn Hybrids Expressing CrylF (Herculex® I Insect Protection) Against Fall Armyworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in the Southern United States

Abstract

Efficacy of two insect-resistant corn hybrids expressing the Cry1 F insecticidal crystal protein of Bacillus thuringiensis var. aizawai Berliner (transformation event TC1507) was evaluated against fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith), in three southern U.S. locations. Larval susceptibility was evaluated on CrylF and nonBt field corn, Zea mays L., plants (V3–V12 and R1–R2 stages) in field plots and laboratory studies. Leaf-feeding injury was significantly less and plant height was significantly greater for hybrids containing Cry1 F as compared with nonBt corn hybrids when exposed to natural or artificial fall armyworm infestations. In addition, larval mortality was significantly greater on CrylF corn hybrids compared with that on nonBt hybrids. These results demonstrate that corn hybrids containing CrylF represent an effective plant incorporated insecticidal protein management option for fall armyworm. In environments where fall armyworm may exceed damage thresholds and have to be carefully managed with foliar sprays, utilization of CrylF corn hybrids will allow growers flexibility in planting and an efficient means for managing infestations.

Eficácia de milho transgênico tratado com inseticida no controle da lagarta-do-cartucho no milho safrinha no estado de São Paulo, Brasil

“…Insecticide spraying caused a significant spraying the damage scores of hybrids with protein Cry1Ab were similar to those with Cry1F technology, this type of management increases production costs (Table 5). The fact that the hybrid expressing protein Cry1F is more effective in reducing S. frugiperda damage than hybrids expressing protein Cry1Ab was also reported by Siebert et al (2008aSiebert et al ( , 2008b and Hardke et al (2011).…”

Status of resistance to Bt maize in Spodoptera frugiperda: Lessons from Puerto Rico

“…TC1507 maize, which produces the Cry1F insecticidal protein from Bacillus thuringiensis var. aizawai, provides protection from a range of foliage-, ear-, and stalk-feeding lepidopteran pests including S. frugiperda, Ostrinia nubilalis (European corn borer), Diatraea saccharalis (sugarcane borer), Diatraea grandiosella (southwestern corn borer), Agrotis ipsilon (black cutworm), and Striacosta albicosta (western bean cutworm) (Siebert et al, 2008;Eichenseer et al, 2008;Storer et al, 2010;DiFonzo and Cullen, 2012). Because the Cry1F protein is present in all tissues and throughout the life of the plant, the level of control of these pests that is achieved is very high throughout the cropping season.…”

Susceptibility of <I>Helicoverpa armigera</I> (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) to Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab2 Insecticidal Proteins in Four Countries of the West African Cotton Belt

“…Several studies have evaluated the field efficacy of first generation single gene Bt corn products (e.g. YieldGard® Corn Borer, Herculex®I) against S. frugiperda (Buntin et al 2000;Buntin 2008;Siebert et al 2008). Results of these studies showed that the single gene Bt corn also could suppress S. frugiperda but the suppression levels were usually not high enough to qualify as "high dose".…”