Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Correspondence
  • Published:

Scant evidence supports EPA's pyramided Bt corn refuge size of 5%

Nature Biotechnology volume 29, pages 577–578 (2011)Cite this article

Subjects

To the Editor:

Pyramided genetically modified (GM) plants express two or more Bacillus thuringiensis toxin (Bt) Cry toxins that are different in structure but effective against the same insect pests. One such product, pyramided SmartStax corn Zea mays, has been recently made available to commercial growers through a joint venture between Monsanto (St. Louis) and Dow AgroSciences (Indianapolis). It expresses Cry 1A.105, Cry2Ab2 and Cry1F toxins, which are active against a variety of caterpillars (order Lepidoptera), as well as Cry34Ab1/Cry35Ab1 and Cry3Bb1 toxins that are active against corn rootworms (order Coleoptera). Although older nonstacked varieties are still grown over considerable acreages, the agbiotech industry argues that pyramided corn is highly effective in controlling its target pests and is readily adopted by farmers.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Head, G.P. Insect resistance management plan for second generation lepidopteran-protected corn, MON 89034. Unpublished report No. 06-RA-39-06 submitted to the EPA by Monsanto. MRID# 469514–30 (2006).

  2. Head, G. Assessment of the impact of MON 89034 introduction on Bt resistance development in European and Southwestern corn borer. Unpublished report No. MSL0021297 submitted to the EPA by Monsanto. MRID# 474748–01 (2008).

  3. Head, G. & Storer, N. Insect resistance management plan for MON 89034 × TC1507 × MON 88017 × DAS-59122–7. Unpublished report No. MSL0021285 submitted to the EPA by Monsanto. MRID# 474449–11 (2008).

  4. Kausch, J. Review of the Public Interest Document in Support of the Section 3(c)7(C) registrations of Monsanto Company's Insect Protected Bacillus thuringiensis corn products. Memorandum to Susanne Cerrelli, Regulatory Action Leader, Microbial Pesticides Branch, Biopesticides and Pollution Prevention Division. (Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, 2008).

  5. Reynolds, A. Review of an Amendment Request to Reduce the Refuge Required for MON 89034 in the Corn Belt. Memorandum to Jeannine Kausch, Regulatory Action Leader, Microbial Pesticides Branch, Biopesticides and Pollution Prevention Division. (Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, 2008).

  6. Tabashnik, B.E., Van Rensburg, J.B.J. & Carrière, Y. J. Econ. Entomol. 102, 2011–2025 (2009).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Bagla, P. Science 327, 1439 (2010).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Zhao, J.-Zh. et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 102, 8426–8430 (2005).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Zhao, J.-Zh. et al. Nat. Biotechnol. 21, 1493–1497 (2003).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Caprio, M.A. J. Econ. Entomol. 91, 1021–1031 (1998).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Tabashnik, B.E. J. Econ. Entomol. 82, 1263–1269 (1989).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Roush, R.T. Biocontrol Sci. Technol. 4, 501–516 (1994).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Roush, R.T. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B 353, 1777–1786 (1998).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Gould, F., Cohen, M.B., Bentur, J.S., Kennedy, G.G. & van Duyn, J. J. Econ. Entomol. 99, 2091–2099 (2006).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Sayyed, A.H., Moores, G., Crickmore, N. & Wright, D.J. Pest Manag. Sci. 64, 813–819 (2008).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Gould, F. et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 89, 7986–7990 (1992).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Tabashnik, B.E., Liu, Y.-B., Finson, N., Masson, L. & Heckel, D.G. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 94, 1640–1644 (1997).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Tabashnik, B.E. et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 106, 11889–11894 (2009).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Hernández-Martínez, P., Ferré, J. & Escriche, B. Pest Manag. Sci. 65, 645–650 (2009).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biology and Ecology, University of Maine, Orono, Maine, USA

    Andrei Alyokhin

Authors
  1. Andrei Alyokhin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Andrei Alyokhin.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The author declares no competing financial interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Alyokhin, A. Scant evidence supports EPA's pyramided Bt corn refuge size of 5%. Nat Biotechnol 29, 577–578 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt.1911

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt.1911

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing: Translational Research

Sign up for the Nature Briefing: Translational Research newsletter — top stories in biotechnology, drug discovery and pharma.

Get what matters in translational research, free to your inbox weekly. Sign up for Nature Briefing: Translational Research