High susceptibility of Bt maize to aphids enhances the performance of parasitoids of lepidopteran pests.

ABSTRACT: Concerns about possible undesired environmental effects of transgenic crops have prompted numerous evaluations of such crops. So-called Bt crops receive particular attention because they carry bacteria-derived genes coding for insecticidal proteins that might negatively affect non-target arthropods. Here we show a remarkable positive effect of Bt maize on the performance of the corn leaf aphid Rhopalosiphum maidis, which in turn enhanced the performance of parasitic wasps that feed on aphid honeydew. Within five out of six pairs that were evaluated, transgenic maize lines were significantly more susceptible to aphids than their near-isogenic equivalents, with the remaining pair being equally susceptible. The aphids feed from the phloem sieve element content and analyses of this sap in sele

SUBMITTER: Faria CA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1899225 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature