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Suppressing resistance to Bt cotton with sterile insect releases

Nature Biotechnology volume 28, pages 1304–1307 (2010)Cite this article

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Abstract

Genetically engineered crops that produce insecticidal toxins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) are grown widely for pest control1. However, insect adaptation can reduce the toxins' efficacy2,3,4,5. The predominant strategy for delaying pest resistance to Bt crops requires refuges of non-Bt host plants to provide susceptible insects to mate with resistant insects2,3,4,5,6,7. Variable farmer compliance is one of the limitations of this approach. Here we report the benefits of an alternative strategy where sterile insects are released to mate with resistant insects and refuges are scarce or absent. Computer simulations show that this approach works in principle against pests with recessive or dominant inheritance of resistance. During a large-scale, four-year field deployment of this strategy in Arizona, resistance of pink bollworm (Pectinophora gossypiella) to Bt cotton did not increase. A multitactic eradication program that included the release of sterile moths reduced pink bollworm abundance by >99%, while eliminating insecticide sprays against this key invasive pest.

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Figure 1: Computer simulations of effects of sterile moth releases on evolution of resistance to Bt cotton.
Figure 2: Pink bollworm resistance allele frequency (with 95% confidence intervals) in Arizona from 1997 to 2008, as estimated from laboratory bioassays with Cry1Ac (Online Methods).
Figure 3: Pink bollworm abundance in Arizona before and during the eradication program.
Figure 4: Mean number of insecticide sprays per ha per year targeting pink bollworm on cotton in Arizona from 1996 to 2009.

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Acknowledgements

We thank N. Alphey, D. Crowder, F. Gould, W. Hutchison, S. Naranjo, G. Rosenthal, R.L. Smith and K.M. Wu for their thoughtful comments and assistance; and E. Miller, D. Parker, M. Krueger, N. Manhardt and Arizona Cotton Research and Protection Council (ACRPC) staff members for their contributions to the eradication program. This work was supported by funding from the USDA-National Institute of Food and Agriculture program, ACRPC, Arizona Cotton Growers Association, Cotton Foundation, Cotton Inc., National Cotton Council, Western IPM Center, Arizona Pest Management Center, and Monsanto and Dow AgroSciences.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Entomology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA

    Bruce E Tabashnik, Timothy J Dennehy, Gopalan C Unnithan, Alex J Yelich, Christa Ellers-Kirk, Virginia S Harpold, Xianchun Li & Yves Carrière

  2. USDA-ARS, San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Sciences Center, Parlier, California, USA

    Mark S Sisterson

  3. Department of Entomology, University of Arizona, Maricopa Agricultural Center, Maricopa, Arizona, USA

    Peter C Ellsworth

  4. Monsanto Company, St. Louis, Missouri, USA

    Timothy J Dennehy

  5. Arizona Cotton Research & Protection Council, Phoenix, Arizona, USA

    Larry Antilla, Leighton Liesner & Mike Whitlow

  6. USDA-APHIS, retired,

    Robert T Staten

  7. USDA-ARS, US Arid Land Agricultural Research Center, Maricopa, Arizona, USA

    Jeffrey A Fabrick

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Contributions

M.S.S. conducted computer simulations; P.C.E. collected and summarized insecticide use data; L.A., L.L., M.W. and R.T.S. directed the eradication program and contributed to its design; J.A.F., G.C.U., A.J.Y., C.E.-K., and V.S.H. collected data; B.E.T., M.S.S., P.C.E., T. J. D., L.A., R.T.S., J.A.F., G.C.U., X. L. and Y.C. contributed to research design; Y.C. analyzed data. B.E.T. wrote the paper. All authors discussed the results and commented on the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bruce E Tabashnik.

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Competing interests

Research reported in this article was supported by organizations that may gain or lose financially through its publication: Arizona Cotton Growers Association, Arizona Cotton Research and Protection Council (ACRPC), Cotton Foundation, Cotton Incorporated, National Cotton Council, Monsanto and Dow AgroSciences. L.A. and R.T.S. are independent contractors paid by ACRPC. L.L. and M.W. are employees of ACRPC. T.J.D. is an employee and stockholder of Monsanto Company. B.E.T. is a coauthor of a patent application on engineering modified Bt toxins to counter pest resistance, which is related to research described by Soberon et al. (Science 318, 1640–1642 (2007)).

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Tabashnik, B., Sisterson, M., Ellsworth, P. et al. Suppressing resistance to Bt cotton with sterile insect releases. Nat Biotechnol 28, 1304–1307 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt.1704

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