Transportability of non‐target arthropod field data for the use in environmental risk assessment of genetically modified maize in Northern Mexico

J L Corrales Madrid,M B Osuna Martínez,L Castro Espinoza,C Jiang,C R Brown,B M Baltazar,F Zavala García,A Ahmad,J Alonso Escobedo,J A Garzón Tiznado,F Javier Quiñones,H A Durán Pompa,J González García,J E Whitsel,A Espinoza Banda,P Asiimwe,J M De La F Martínez,J L Martínez Carrillo,O Heredia Díaz

doi:10.1111/jen.12499

Abstract

AbstractIn country, non‐target arthropod (NTA) field evaluations are required to comply with the regulatory process for cultivation of genetically modified (GM) maize in Mexico. Two sets of field trials, Experimental Phase and Pilot Phase, were conducted to identify any potential harm of insect‐protected and glyphosate‐tolerant maize (MON‐89Ø34‐3 × MON‐88Ø17‐3 and MON‐89Ø34‐3 × MON‐ØØ6Ø3‐6) and glyphosate‐tolerant maize (MON‐ØØ6Ø3‐6) to local NTAs compared to conventional maize. NTA abundance data were collected at 32 sites, providing high geographic and environmental diversity within maize production areas from four ecological regions (ecoregions) in northern Mexico. The most abundant herbivorous taxa collected included field crickets, corn flea beetles, rootworm beetles, cornsilk flies, aphids, leafhoppers, plant bugs and thrips while the most abundant beneficial taxa captured were soil mites, spiders, predatory ground beetles, rove beetles, springtails (Collembola), predatory earwigs, ladybird beetles, syrphid flies, tachinid flies, minute pirate bugs, parasitic wasps and lacewings. Across the taxa analysed, no statistically significant differences in abundance were detected between GM maize and the conventional maize control for 69 of the 74 comparisons (93.2%) indicating that the single or stacked insect‐protected and herbicide‐tolerant GM traits generally exert no marked adverse effects on the arthropod populations compared with conventional maize. The distribution of taxa observed in this study provides evidence that irrespective of variations in overall biodiversity of a given ecoregion, important herbivore, predatory and parasitic arthropod taxa within the commercial maize agroecosystem are highly similar indicating that relevant data generated in one ecoregion can be transportable for the risk assessment of the same or similar GM crop in another ecoregion.

Highlights

Biotechnology-derived crops are the most rapidly adopted crop technology in the last 21 years with acreage increasing more than 100-fold since it was first commercialized (James, 2016)
We summarize studies performed to evaluate the effect of maize breeding stacks (MON-89Ø34-3 × MON-88Ø17-3 and MON-89Ø34-3 × MON-ØØ6Ø3-6) and single event (MON- ØØ6Ø3-6) on the abundance of non-target arthropod (NTA) relative to its conventional control in maize production areas located within four ecoregions in Northern Mexico
Despite the history of safe use, rapid adoption of genetically modified (GM) crops in several geographies, and the fact that risk assessors and regulators have access to environmental assessment data generated on the crop and trait in other geographies, extensive local field evaluations are still required prior to making informed decisions on the cultivation approval of GM crops in Mexico

Summary

| INTRODUCTION

Biotechnology-derived (genetically modified, GM) crops are the most rapidly adopted crop technology in the last 21 years with acreage increasing more than 100-fold since it was first commercialized (James, 2016). Local NTA field evaluations are commonly required for cultivation approvals of GM crops in some countries often without consideration for data already available This data may include tiered approach data, or field data from well-designed studies conducted for the ERA of the same GM crop, related traits or GM crop/trait combinations where the ecological assessment endpoints (e.g., NTA) are similar. Prior to cultivation of a GM crop in Mexico, local field trials are required to assess the potential adverse effects of the GM crops on its receiving environment, relative to a non-GM control. The focus of these trials is to examine whether the GM crop has potential to. We sought to determine the similarity of taxa across ecoregions to evaluate whether the concept of data transportability, where results on NTA data can be leveraged across ecoregions to support ERA, is applicable

| MATERIALS AND METHODS

Findings

| DISCUSSION