No impact of transgenic cry2Aa rice on Anagrus nilaparvatae, an egg parasitoid of Nilaparvata lugens, in laboratory tests

Abstract

Anagrus nilaparvatae (Hymenoptera: Mymanidae), is an egg parasitoid of the rice planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens. In the current study, a seven generation bioassay was used to test for host-mediated effects of transgenic cry2Aa rice (T2A-1) on this parasitoid. When A. nilaparvatae parasitized the eggs of N.lugens reared on either Bt or non-Bt rice, there were no differences in survival, development time, longevity, sex ratio or fecundity over seven generations. In addition, direct exposure to a high dosage of Cry2Aa had no adverse effects on the survival or fecundity of A. nilaparvatae adults. Cry2Aa protein could not be detected in the eggs of N. lugens or in the adults of A. nilaparvatae parasitizing eggs of N. lugens feeding on Bt rice. These results indicate that A. nilaparvatae are not sensitive to Cry2Aa protein at the tested concentration and there were no detrimental effects on any life-table parameters in our study.