Monitoring Insect Resistance to Bt Maize in the European Union: Update, Challenges, and Future Prospects

García, Matías; García-Benítez, Carlos; Ortego, Félix; Farinós, Gema P.

doi:10.1093/jee/toac154

Cited by 13 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 126 publications

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“…Whereas use of multiple Bt toxins has almost certainly extended the durability of Bt crops in Australia, Mexico and the U.S. in the examples listed above, Cry1Ac has been the only Bt toxin produced by Bt cotton in China. Likewise, Cry1Ab has been the only Bt toxin produced by Bt corn in Europe, where monitoring data show no decrease in susceptibility for more than two decades in the two major target pests, O. nubilalis and S. nonagrioides (García et al 2022). This prolonged efficacy of single-toxin Bt crops has greatly exceeded expectations of most if not all experts.…”

Section: Summary and Future Prospectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Global Patterns of Insect Resistance to Transgenic Bt Crops: The First 25 Years

Tabashnik

Fabrick

Carrière

2023

Journal of Economic Entomology

103

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Crops genetically engineered to produce insecticidal proteins from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) have improved pest management and reduced reliance on insecticide sprays. However, evolution of practical resistance by some pests has reduced the efficacy of Bt crops. We analyzed global resistance monitoring data for 24 pest species based on the first 25 yr of cultivation of Bt crops including corn, cotton, soybean, and sugarcane. Each of the 73 cases examined represents the response of one pest species in one country to one Bt toxin produced by one or more Bt crops. The cases of practical resistance rose from 3 in 2005 to 26 in 2020. Practical resistance has been documented in some populations of 11 pest species (nine lepidopterans and two coleopterans), collectively affecting nine widely used crystalline (Cry) Bt toxins in seven countries. Conversely, 30 cases reflect no decrease in susceptibility to Bt crops in populations of 16 pest species in 10 countries. The remaining 17 cases provide early warnings of resistance, which entail genetically based decreases in susceptibility without evidence of reduced field efficacy. The early warnings involve four Cry toxins and the Bt vegetative insecticidal protein Vip3Aa. Factors expected to favor sustained susceptibility include abundant refuges of non-Bt host plants, recessive inheritance of resistance, low resistance allele frequency, fitness costs, incomplete resistance, and redundant killing by multi-toxin Bt crops. Also, sufficiently abundant refuges can overcome some unfavorable conditions for other factors. These insights may help to increase the sustainability of current and future transgenic insecticidal crops.

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Section: Summary and Future Prospectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Global Patterns of Insect Resistance to Transgenic Bt Crops: The First 25 Years

Tabashnik

Fabrick

Carrière

2023

Journal of Economic Entomology

103

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“…Each of these papers offers important new findings as well as broader insights when considered together and in light of previous work. Garcia et al (2023 of this collection) report that after 23 yr (1998–2021) of exposure to single-toxin Bt corn producing Cry1Ab in Spain, no decrease in susceptibility was detected in either of the two main target pests, the corn borers Sesamia nonagrioides and Ostrinia nubilalis . Whereas Bt corn producing more than one lepidopteran-active Bt protein is prevalent in the United States and other countries where Bt corn is cultivated extensively, growers in Europe have been limited to single-toxin Bt corn producing Cry1Ab.…”

Section: Topics In the Collectionmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…In Spain, the sustained susceptibility to Cry1Ab despite this constraint might have been facilitated by non-Bt corn consistently accounting for a relatively high percentage of all corn planted. During 2021, the percentage of corn hectares in Spain consisting of non-Bt corn was >75% nationally and at least 36% regionally (Garcia et al 2023…”

Section: Topics In the Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Global perspectives on field-evolved resistance to transgenic Bt crops: a special collection

Tabashnik

Carrière

et al. 2023

Journal of Economic Entomology

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Crops genetically engineered to produce insect-killing proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) have revolutionized management of some major pests, but their efficacy is reduced when pests evolve resistance. Practical resistance, which is field-evolved resistance that reduces the efficacy of Bt crops and has practical implications for pest management, has been reported in 26 cases in seven countries involving 11 pest species. This special collection includes six original papers that present a global perspective on field-evolved resistance to Bt crops. One is a synthetic review providing a comprehensive global summary of the status of the resistance or susceptibility to Bt crops of 24 pest species in 12 countries. Another evaluates the inheritance and fitness costs of resistance of Diabrotica virgifera virgifera to Gpp34/Tpp35Ab (formerly called Cry34/35Ab). Two papers describe and demonstrate advances in techniques for monitoring field-evolved resistance. One uses a modified F2 screen for resistance to Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab in Helicoverpa zea in the United States. The other uses genomics to analyze nonrecessive resistance to Cry1Ac in Helicoverpa armigera in China. Two papers provide multi-year monitoring data for resistance to Bt corn in Spain and Canada, respectively. The monitoring data from Spain evaluate responses to Cry1Ab of the corn borers Sesamia nonagrioides and Ostrinia nubilalis, whereas the data from Canada track responses of O. nubilalis to Cry1Ab, Cry1Fa, Cry1A.105, and Cry2Ab. We hope the new methods, results, and conclusions reported here will spur additional research and help to enhance the sustainability of current and future transgenic insecticidal crops.

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“…However, EFSA also recommends focusing sampling in areas where farmers have indications of potential resistance evolution (EFSA, 2015a). No populations have been collected from Cataluña, which is the area with the highest uptake of maize MON 810 in Spain (García et al., 2023), and where unexpected damage on maize MON 810 plants by MCB was observed in 2021. In some regions of Cataluña, such as Baix Empordà (Girona), maize MON 810 uptake has consistently surpassed 60% nearly every year since 2007, with adoption values around 80% some years 17 .…”

Section: Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of the 2021 post‐market environmental monitoring report on the cultivation of genetically modified maize MON 810 in the EU

Messéan,

Álvarez,

Devos

et al. 2023

EFS2

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Following a request from the European Commission, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) assessed the 2021 post-market environmental monitoring (PMEM) report on the cultivation of Cry1Ab-expressing maize event MON 810. Evidence provided in the PMEM report shows that farmers growing maize MON 810 in Spain complied partially with refuge requirements, while full compliance was achieved in Portugal. Cry1Ab susceptibility tests performed on European and Mediterranean corn borer populations collected from north-eastern Spain in 2021 indicated no symptoms of resistance evolution to maize MON 810. However, unexpected damage to maize MON 810 plants was observed in a field trial in the province of Girona (north-eastern Spain), which may point to the presence of resistance alleles in this region. Information retrieved through farmer questionnaires and the scientific literature reveals no unanticipated adverse effects on human and animal health or the environment arising from the cultivation of maize MON 810. Overall, EFSA concludes that the evidence reported in the 2021 PMEM report does not invalidate its previous conclusions on the safety of maize MON 810. The possible presence of Cry1Ab resistance alleles at frequencies leading to damage to maize MON 810 plants in Girona requires twofold actions: (1) increase monitoring efforts in this area; and (2) implement remedial measures to limit the suspected evolution and spread of resistance. As in previous years, EFSA identified shortcomings on resistance monitoring that need revision. In particular, full refuge compliance must be achieved in Spain. Moreover, the sensitivity of the monitoring plan must be increased, which can be achieved by replacing the current susceptibility assays by periodic F 2 screens. EFSA also recommends the consent holder to revise the farmer questionnaires to account for the emergence of teosinte as a noxious agricultural weed in maize MON 810-growing areas in Spain.

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Monitoring Insect Resistance to Bt Maize in the European Union: Update, Challenges, and Future Prospects

Cited by 13 publications

References 126 publications

Global Patterns of Insect Resistance to Transgenic Bt Crops: The First 25 Years

Global Patterns of Insect Resistance to Transgenic Bt Crops: The First 25 Years

Global perspectives on field-evolved resistance to transgenic Bt crops: a special collection

Assessment of the 2021 post‐market environmental monitoring report on the cultivation of genetically modified maize MON 810 in the EU

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