Effect of Bt Maize Mon 810 Expressing Cry 1 Ab Toxin on Aphidius Colemani in Tritrophic Plant - Herbivore - Parasitoid System

Abstract

Effect of Bt Maize Mon 810 Expressing Cry 1 Ab Toxin onAphidius Colemaniin Tritrophic Plant - Herbivore - Parasitoid SystemEffect of Bt maize MON 810 expressing Cry 1 Ab toxin on braconidAphidius colemaniin tritrophic plant - herbivore - parasitoid system was studied under greenhouse conditions by rearing the bird cherry-oat aphid (Rhopalosiphum padi) on genetically modified maize cultivar DKc 307 (MON 810) and its isogenic parent cultivar - Monumental of Monsanto Ltd.R. padiaphids reached higher population level when maintained on Bt-maize cultivar DKc 307 (MON 810) than on its isogenic parent cultivar - Monumental both in the winter and summer experiments. The braconidA. colemanideveloped higher population onR. padiaphid population feeding on Bt maize plants in the summer experiment and on non-Bt plants in the winter experiment. The observed effect of season on parasitation level byA. colemanionR. padihost feeding on Bt and non-Bt maize plants indicates that results obtained in a single greenhouse experiment may lead to questionable conclusions and should be confirmed by other experiments.