1. Inhibition of Rhopalosiphum maidis (Corn Leaf Aphid) Growth on Maize by Virus-Induced Gene Silencing with Sugarcane Mosaic Virus
Seung Ho Chung, Georg Jander Methods Mol Biol. 2022;2360:139-153. doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1633-8_12.
The corn leaf aphid (Rhopalosiphum maidis), a damaging pest of maize (Zea mays), is not controlled by the insecticidal proteins in commercially available transgenic crop varieties. One promising approach is to reduce aphid growth and fecundity by targeting the expression of essential genes using plant-mediated RNA interference (RNAi). Here we describe a method whereby Sugarcane Mosaic Virus (SCMV), a positive-strand RNA virus in the Potyviridae family, is used for virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) of gene expression in R. maidis. A segment of the R. maidis target gene is cloned into SCMV, maize plants are infected with the transgenic virus, aphids are placed on the virus-infected plants and, after a few days of feeding, decreases in target gene expression and aphid reproduction are assessed. This VIGS method can be used for rapid screening of suitable RNAi targets for aphid pest control, as well as to study the in vivo function of specific aphid genes.
2. Cross-Resistance between Cry1 Proteins in Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) May Affect the Durability of Current Pyramided Bt Maize Hybrids in Brazil
Daniel Bernardi, et al. PLoS One. 2015 Oct 16;10(10):e0140130. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0140130. eCollection 2015.
Genetically modified plants expressing insecticidal proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) offer valuable options for managing insect pests with considerable environmental and economic benefits. Despite the benefits provided by Bt crops, the continuous expression of these insecticidal proteins imposes strong selection for resistance in target pest populations. Bt maize (Zea mays) hybrids have been successful in controlling fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda), the main maize pest in Brazil since 2008; however, field-evolved resistance to the protein Cry1F has recently been reported. Therefore it is important to assess the possibility of cross-resistance between Cry1F and other Cry proteins expressed in Bt maize hybrids. In this study, an F2 screen followed by subsequent selection on MON 89034 maize was used to select an S. frugiperda strain (RR) able to survive on the Bt maize event MON 89034, which expresses the Cry1A.105 and Cry2Ab2 proteins. Field-collected insects from maize expressing the Cry1F protein (event TC1507) represented most of the positive (resistance allele-containing) (iso)families found. The RR strain showed high levels of resistance to Cry1F, which apparently also conferred high levels of cross resistance to Cry1A.105 and Cry1Ab, but had only low-level (10-fold) resistance to Cry2Ab2. Life history studies to investigate fitness costs associated with the resistance in RR strain revealed only small reductions in reproductive rate when compared to susceptible and heterozygous strains, but the RR strain produced 32.2% and 28.4% fewer females from each female relative to the SS and RS (pooled) strains, respectively. Consistent with the lack of significant resistance to Cry2Ab2, MON 89034 maize in combination with appropriate management practices continues to provide effective control of S. frugiperda in Brazil. Nevertheless, the occurrence of Cry1F resistance in S. frugiperda across Brazil, and the cross-resistance to Cry1Ab and Cry1A.105, indicates that current Cry1-based maize hybrids face a challenge in managing S. frugiperda in Brazil and highlights the importance of effective insect resistance management for these technologies.
3. Performance of Bt-susceptible and -heterozygous dual-gene resistant genotypes of Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in seed blends of non-Bt and pyramided Bt maize
Marcelo Dimase, Sebe Brown, Graham P Head, Paula A Price, Wade Walker, Wenbo Yu, Fangneng Huang Insect Sci. 2021 Aug;28(4):1147-1158. doi: 10.1111/1744-7917.12850. Epub 2020 Aug 6.
A seed blend refuge has been implemented in the U.S. Corn Belt for Bt maize resistance management. The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith), is a target pest of Bt maize in the Americas. The larvae of this pest are mobile, which may affect the efficacy of seed blend refuges. In this study, field and greenhouse trials were conducted to determine the performance of Bt-susceptible (aabb) and -heterozygous dual-gene-resistant (AaBb) genotypes of S. frugiperda in seed blends of non-Bt and pyramided Bt maize. Three field trials evaluated larval survival, larval growth, and plant injury with aabb in seed blends of Bt maize expressing Cry1A.105/Cry2Ab2/Vip3A with 0-30% non-Bt seeds. Greenhouse tests investigated the performance of aabb and AaBb in seed blends of Cry1A.105/Cry2Ab2 with 0-30% non-Bt seeds. In pure non-Bt maize plots, after 9-13 d of neonates being released on the plants, 0.39 and 0.65 larvae/plant survived with leaf injury ratings of 4.7 and 5.9 (Davis's 1-9 scale) in the field and greenhouse, respectively. In contrast, live larvae and plant injury were virtually not observed on Bt plants across all planting patterns. Larval occurrence and plant injury by aabb on non-Bt plants were similar between seed blends and pure non-Bt plantings, suggesting that the blended refuges could provide an equivalent susceptible population as structured refuge under the test conditions. In the greenhouse, the two insect genotypes in seed blends performed similarly, indicating that the seed blends did not provide more favorable conditions for AaBb over aabb. The information generated from this study should be useful in managing S. frugiperda and evaluating if send blends could be suitable refuge options for Bt resistance management in the regions where the insect is a primary target pest.
