ESA Annual Meetings Online Program
Western corn rootworm (Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte) resistance to Bt corn: Laboratory assays and field evaluations
Christopher R. Dojutrek and Aaron J. Gassmann
As early as 2003, farmers started planting transgenic corn containing insecticidal toxins acquired by the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, which targeted the western corn rootworm Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). In 2009, the first cases of western corn rootworm resistance to Bt corn were detected. The objectives of this research project are : 1) work with farmers, stakeholders, state agronomists, and the agriculture community to identify fields with severe injury from the rootworm to Bt corn 2) measure root injury in those fields, gather rootworm adults for later bioassays and obtain a history of cropping practices 3) run plant-based bioassays to measure susceptibility of larvae to the Bt corn and 4) establish research plots during the following growth season to gather data on root injury and rootworm survival. These data will document cases of western corn rootworm resistance to Bt corn and will aid in the development of better integrated pest management and insect resistance management practices.
