Bt rice in China - focusing the nontarget risk assessment.

Yunhe Li,Yan Yang,Qingling Zhang,Michael Meissle,Jörg Romeis,Yanan Wang,Xiuping Chen,Yufa Peng,Hongxia Hua,Qingsong Liu

doi:10.1111/pbi.12720

Abstract

Summary Bt rice can control yield losses caused by lepidopteran pests but may also harm nontarget species and reduce important ecosystem services. A comprehensive data set on herbivores, natural enemies, and their interactions in Chinese rice fields was compiled. This together with an analysis of the Cry protein content in arthropods collected from Bt rice in China indicated which nontarget species are most exposed to the insecticidal protein and should be the focus of regulatory risk assessment.

Highlights

Rice (Oryza sativa) suffers massive yield losses from attacks by a complex of lepidopteran pests (Chen et al, 2011)
Researchers have developed genetically engineered (GE) rice lines that produce insecticidal Cry proteins derived from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) (Cohen et al, 2008; Li et al, 2016; Liu et al, 2016)
Before a Bt rice line can be cultivated, the risks to the environment must be assessed. This includes the evaluation of potential adverse effects on valued nontarget arthropods (NTAs) and the ecosystem services they provide (Devos et al, 2015; Romeis et al, 2008)

Summary

Introduction

Rice (Oryza sativa) suffers massive yield losses from attacks by a complex of lepidopteran pests (Chen et al, 2011). Before a Bt rice line can be cultivated, the risks to the environment must be assessed This includes the evaluation of potential adverse effects on valued nontarget arthropods (NTAs) and the ecosystem services they provide (Devos et al, 2015; Romeis et al, 2008). This premarket NTA risk assessment requires information about which species live in the receiving environment and which species are most likely exposed to the Cry proteins (Romeis et al, 2013, 2014; Todd et al, 2008). Based on this information surrogate species for laboratory toxicity studies to support the regulatory risk assessment of Bt rice are suggested

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Results

Conclusion