Abstract
MON 810 maize was developed against Ostrinia nubilalis and is suggested to indirectly decrease Fusarium spp. infestation in maize ears. To evaluate this effect, co-occurrence of insect and fungal pests on MON 810 maize was studied. During 2009, exceptionally high maize ear infestation occurred in Julianna-major (Hungary). From investigation of some thousands of maize ears, the majority of the larval damage originated from Helicoverpa armigera larvae, while O. nubilalis larvae contributed significant damage only at a single plot. Fusarium verticillioides infection appeared only in a small portion (∼20–30%) of the insect damaged cobs. H. armigera and O. nubilalis larvae feeding on F. verticillioides mycelia can distribute its conidia with their fecal pellets. MON 810 maize showed 100% efficacy against O. nubilalis in the stem, but lower efficacy against O. nubilalis and H. armigera in maize ears. The ∼Cry1Ab toxin content of maize silk, the entry site of H. armigera, was lower than that in the leaves/stem/husk leaves of MON 810. Fusarium-infected MON 810 cobs are rarely found and only after larval damage by O. nubilalis. H. armigera larvae could not tolerate well F. verticillioides infected food and attempted to move out from the infected cobs. For further feeding they re-entered the maize ears through the 8–12 husk leaves, but in the case of the MON 810 variety, they usually could not reach the kernels. Apical damage on cobs resulted in only a minor (about one-tenth of the cob) decrease in yield.
Highlights
MON 810 maize, expressing a transgene encoding a truncated version of the lepidopteran-specificCry1Ab toxin of Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki [1], was developed against Ostrinia nubilalis (Hübner) (Lep., Crambidae) and is suggested to indirectly decrease Fusarium spp. infestation [2,3]resulting in decreased mycotoxin content in the genetically modified (GM) crop [3,4,5]
No infestation by F. verticillioides was observed in the untreated control, and none was produced by fixing F. verticillioides mycelia on corn silk, either (Table 1)
Lepidoptera Larvae and Fusarium verticillioides Mycelia. It was apparent from the laboratory experiments that young larvae of H. armigera and O. nubilalis do not tolerate well F. verticillioides mycelia in their food (Table 1)
Summary
MON 810 maize, expressing a transgene encoding a truncated version of the lepidopteran-specificCry1Ab toxin of Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki [1], was developed against Ostrinia nubilalis (Hübner) (Lep., Crambidae) and is suggested to indirectly decrease Fusarium spp. infestation [2,3]resulting in decreased mycotoxin content in the genetically modified (GM) crop [3,4,5]. MON 810 maize, expressing a transgene encoding a truncated version of the lepidopteran-specific. Kurstaki [1], was developed against Ostrinia nubilalis (Hübner) (Lep., Crambidae) and is suggested to indirectly decrease Fusarium spp. infestation [2,3]. Different additional lepidopteran pests of maize occur in the American continents and in Europe, i.e. Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) (Lep., Noctuidae) in North America, Spodoptera frugiperda (Lep., Noctuidae) in South America, Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) (Lep., Noctuidae) in Eastern. Europe and Sesamia nonagrioides (Lefebvre) (Lep., Noctuidae) in Western Europe [3,6]. O. nubilalis is a stem and maize ear pest, while larvae of European noctuid species damage only maize ears. In the Pannonian Region, where maize ear damage mostly originates from O. nubilalis and
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