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Transgenic plants expressing two Bacillus thuringiensis toxins delay insect resistance evolution

Nature Biotechnology volume 21, pages 1493–1497 (2003)Cite this article

Abstract

Preventing insect pests from developing resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxins produced by transgenic crops is a major challenge for agriculture. Theoretical models suggest that plants containing two dissimilar Bt toxin genes ('pyramided' plants) have the potential to delay resistance more effectively than single-toxin plants used sequentially or in mosaics. To test these predictions, we developed a unique model system consisting of Bt transgenic broccoli plants and the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella. We conducted a greenhouse study using an artificial population of diamondback moths carrying genes for resistance to the Bt toxins Cry1Ac and Cry1C at frequencies of about 0.10 and 0.20, respectively. After 24 generations of selection, resistance to pyramided two-gene plants was significantly delayed as compared with resistance to single-gene plants deployed in mosaics, and to Cry1Ac toxin when it was the first used in a sequence. These results have important implications for the development and regulation of transgenic insecticidal plants.

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Figure 1: Populations of Cry1Ac-/Cry1C-resistant diamondback moths in cages with different Bt broccoli treatments.

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Acknowledgements

We thank J. Plate and G. Young for technical assistance and F. Gould for helpful comments on the experimental design. This work was supported by the US Department of Agriculture (NRI 99-35302-7999).

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Author notes

  1. Richard T Roush

    Present address: Statewide IPM Program, University of California, 1 Shields Ave., Davis, California, 95616-8621, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Entomology, Cornell University/NYSAES, 630 W. North Street, Geneva, 14456, New York, USA

    Jian-Zhou Zhao, Yaxin Li, Hilda L Collins & Anthony M Shelton

  2. Department of Plant Breeding, 514 Bradfield Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, 14853, New York, USA

    Jun Cao & Elizabeth D Earle

  3. Department of Applied and Molecular Ecology, Waite Institute, University of Adelaide, Glen Osmond, 5064, Australia

    Richard T Roush

Authors
  1. Jian-Zhou Zhao
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Correspondence to Anthony M Shelton.

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Zhao, JZ., Cao, J., Li, Y. et al. Transgenic plants expressing two Bacillus thuringiensis toxins delay insect resistance evolution. Nat Biotechnol 21, 1493–1497 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt907

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