Effect of Pollen of Regular Cotton and Transgenic <I>Bt</I>+CpTI Cotton on the Survival and Reproduction of the Parasitoid Wasp <I>Trichogramma chilonis</I> (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) in the Laboratory

Abstract

Abstract The effects of pollen of regular cotton and transgenic Bt+CpTI cotton expressing the Cry1Ac protein of Bacillus thuringiensis and cowpea trypsin inhibitor (CpTI) as a food source for Trichogramma chilonis (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) were assessed in the laboratory by studying longevity, parasitization rate, progeny survival, and sex ratio. Females fed on suspension of pollen of regular cotton or transgenic Bt+CpTI cotton in water lived as long as those fed on water alone or those that were unfed. However, the females’ longevity was significantly reduced compared with that of females fed on 10% honey alone or suspension of pollen of regular cotton or transgenic Bt+CpTI cotton in 10% honey, either with or without eggs of rice moth (Corcyra cephalonica). T. chilonis females fed on suspension of pollen of regular cotton or transgenic Bt+CpTI cotton in 10% honey parasitized more eggs and produced significantly more offspring than those fed on 10% honey or water alone, suspension of pollen of regu...