Comparison of three transgenic Bt rice lines for insecticidal protein expression and resistance against a target pest, Chilo suppressalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae).

Two transgenic rice lines (T2A-1 and T1C-19b) expressing cry2A and cry1C genes, respectively, were developed in China, targeting lepidopteran pests including Chilo suppressalis (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae). The seasonal expression of Cry proteins in different tissues of the rice lines and their resistance to C. suppressalis were assessed in comparison to a Bt rice line expressing a cry1Ab/Ac fusion gene, Huahui 1, which has been granted a biosafety certificate. In general, levels of Cry proteins were T2A-1 > Huahui 1 > T1C-19b among rice lines, and leaf > stem > root among rice tissues. The expression patterns of Cry protein in the rice line plants were similar: higher level at early stages than at later stages with an exception that high Cry1C level in T1C-19b stems at the maturing stage. The bioassay results revealed that the three transgenic rice lines exhibited significantly high resistance against C. suppressalis larvae throughout the rice growing season. According to Cry protein levels in rice tissues, the raw and corrected mortalities of C. suppressalis caused by each Bt rice line were the highest in the seedling and declined through the jointing stage with an exception for T1C-19b providing an excellent performance at the maturing stage. By comparison, T1C-19b exhibited more stable and greater resistance to C. suppressalis larvae than T2A-1, being close to Huahui 1. The results suggest cry1C is an ideal Bt gene for plant transformation for lepidopteran pest control, and T1C-19b is a promising Bt rice line for commercial use for tolerating lepidopteran rice pests.

[Occurrence dynamics of migratory pest insects Cnaphalocrocis medinalis and Sogatella furcifera in transgenic Bt rice field in Xing'an County of Guangxi Province].

An investigation was conducted in Xing' an County of Guangxi Province in 2010 to study the occurrence and damage characteristics of two unique migratory pest insects, rice leaffolder (Cnaphalocrocis medinalis) and white-backed planthopper (Sogatella furcifera), in a transgenic Bt rice (cv. HH1 with dual Cry1Ab+Cry1Ac genes) field, taking the corresponding non-transgenic parent (cv. MH63) field as the control. No significant differences were observed in the abundance of C. medinalis eggs and larvae in the two fields, but the percentage of fold-leaf plants and the fold-leaf rate per plant were significantly lower in transgenic Bt rice field than in the control, suggesting that transgenic Bt rice had higher resistance against the target pest insect C. medinalis. As for S. furcifera, its occurrence dynamics of nymphs, adults (including macro- and brachypterous forms), and whole population had no significant differences between the two fields, but the abundance of the nymphs and brachypterous adults at the peak stage of S. furcifera occurrence was obviously higher in transgenic Bt rice field than in the control, while the macropterous abundance was in adverse. The sex ratio of female of the macropterous adults at the late growth stage of rice was generally lower in transgenic Bt rice field than in the control. These results suggested that under the background of large area commercial production of transgenic Bt rice, the occurrence and harm of the non-target pest insect S. furcifera could become more complicated.

Reproduction-flight relationship in the beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).

To evaluate the relationship between reproduction and migratory flight, we examined ovaries, tethered flight, and egg laying in the beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua (Hübner). Ovarian development in female S. exigua was classified into five stages in relation to the postemergence age of the moths. Oviposition peaked at ovarian stages III and IV. Mating accelerated ovarian development in this species, and thus the mated females developed faster than the virgin moths in ovaries. In virgin adults, flight capacity increased from the first day to the third day after emergence and remained at a high level until the moths were 7 d old. In contrast, the mated moths reached the maximum flight capacity in 2 d after emergence and maintained a high level until the age of 7 d. However, mating status could not influence the flight capacity of the beet armyworm, although there were general differences in flight capacity between virgin and mated adults at the same age. Moreover, significant correlations between the number of eggs laid and the flight capacity were not performed by the mated moths. These results showed that mating status and ovarian development did not seem to influence flight capacity in the beet armyworm, which was not in agreement with the definitions of the oogenesis-flight syndrome observed in many other migratory insects.