Bt maize

Magg T, Melchinger AE, Klein D, Bohn M (2002) Relationship between European com borer resistance and concentration of mycotoxins produced by Fusarium spp. in grains of transgenic Bt maize hybrids, their isogenic counterparts, and commercial varieties. Plant Breed 121 146-154 Maheshwari N, Rajyalakshmi K, Baweja K, Dhir SK, Chowdhry CN, Maheshwari SC (1995) In vitro culture of wheat and genetic transformation - retrospect and prospect. Plant Sci 14 49-178... 

Maize Insect resistant 5.575 million pounds potentially less insecticide active ingredients in 2001 (14.927 million acres) Calculation of pesticide use in a simulation of high insect pest infestation based on historical data, assuming 100% pest control by insect resistant Bt maize. Rationale for the simulation were the low actual infestation levels in recent years that would have obscured the potential change in insecticide use under insect pressure. 

Maize is grown in most U.S. states, where European com borer and Southwestern com borer are major lepidopteran insect pests. The transgenic CiylAb protein expressed in Bt maize can provide protection against these two pests. Control of these insect pests depends among others on the timing of pesticide applications, because the larvae spent part of their life inside maize stalks where pesticides may not be effective at all. 

This chapter reports the studies dealing with honey bee-plant interactions under semi-field or field conditions. These studies have tentatively established relationships between the observed behaviors and the transformed plant characteristics in terms of gene product expression or secondary changes in attraction cues. Direct observations of honey bees foraging on GM plants are still scarce, and have been reported mainly for oilseed rape expressing insecticide, herbicide, or disease resistance. Bt maize pollen was also tested on bees, but whole plants were not. In recent work (not yet published in peer-reviewed journals but reported in... 

The most dominant Bt crop is Bt maize, commercially grown in 2005 in the USA, Argentina, Canada, South Africa and on lesser acreage in the Philippines, Spain, Uruguay, Honduras, Portugal, Germany, France and the Czech Republic ... 

Contrary to media hype, the primary threat to the monarch population is loss of crucial winter habitats in southern Cahfomia and central Mexico, rather than commercial growing of Bt-maize. 

Bonanni et al. report the impedimetric detection of transgenic insect-resistant Bt maize DNA, using carbon nanotubes as sensing platform. Carbon nanotubes were modified with carboxylic groups which allowed the covalent immobilization of the oligonucleotide sequence under study (Figure 14.19). The impedimetric technique allowed either the detection of complementary DNA sequences or their quantification. 

Figure 14.19 Scheme of the experimental procedure for impedimetric genosensing of oligonucleotide sequences specific for transgenic insect resistant Bt maize. From Ref. [44] with permission from Elsevier... 

Bourguet, D. 2004. Resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis toxins in the European corn borer what chance for Bt maize Physiol. Entomol. 29 251-256. 

Bourguet, D., J. Chaufaux, M. Se quin, C. Buisson, J.L. Hinton, T.J. Stodola, P. Porter, G. Cronholm, L. Buschman, and D.A. Andow. 2003. Frequency of alleles conferring resistance to Bt maize in French and US corn belt populations of the European corn horer, Ostrinia nubilalis. Theor. Appl. Genet. 106 1225-1233. 

Dutton, A., J. Romeis, and F. Bigler. 2003. Assessing the risks of insect resistant transgenic plants on entomophagous arthropods Bt-maize expressing CrylAb as a case study. BioControl 48 611-636. 

Farin6s, G.P., M. de la Poza, P. Herndndez-Crespo, F. Ortego, and P. Castanera. 2004. Resistance monitoring of field populations of the com borers Sesamia nonagrioides and Ostrinia nubilalis after 5 years of Bt maize cultivation in Spain. Entomol. Exp. App. 110 23-30. 

Lang, A. 2004. Monitoring the impact of Bt maize on butterflies in the field estimation of required sample sizes. Environ. Biosafety Res. 3 55-66. 

Lang, A., C. Ludy, and E. Vojtech. 2004. Dispersion and distribution of Bt maize pollen in field margins. J. Plant Dis. Protect. 111 417-428. 

Lumbierres, B., R. Albajes, and X. Pons. 2004. Transgenic Bt maize and Rhopalosiphum padi (Horn., Aphididae) performance. Ecol. Entomol. 29 309-317. 

Meissle, M. E. Vojtech, and G.M. Poppy. 2005. Effects of Bt maize-fed prey on the generalist predator Poecilus cupreus L. (Coleoptera Carabidae). Transgenic Res. 14 123-132. 

Obrist, L.B., H. Klein, A. Dutton, and F. Bigler. 2005. Effects of Bt maize on Frankliniella tenuicornis and exposure of thrips predators to prey-mediated Bt toxin. Entomol. Exp. Appl. 115 409-416. 

Poza, M. de la, X. Pons, G.P. Farindsa, C. Ldpez, F. Ortego, M. Eizaguirre, P. Castanera, and R. Alhajes. 2005. Impact of farm-scale Bt maize on abundance of predatory arthropods in Spain. Crop Protect. 24 677-684. 

Schmitz, G., P. Pretscher, and D. Bartsch. 2003. Selection of relevant non-target herbivores for monitoring the environmental effects of Bt maize pollen. Environ. Biosafety Res. 2 117-132. 

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