Pest Management Science (2022) 78, 240-245

Fan Yang, Bing Liu, Yulin Zhu, Nicolas Desneux, Lituo Liu, Caihong Li, Kris A.G. Wyckhuys and Yanhui Lu (2022)
Transgenic Cry1Ac + CpTI cotton does not compromise parasitoid-mediated biological control: An eight-year case study
Pest Management Science 78 (1), 240-245
Abstract:
BACKGROUND
The on-farm deployment of genetically modified crops may negatively affect nontarget arthropods, potentially disrupting food web structure and ecosystem functions. Aphid–parasitoid interactions are well-suited to study these potential impacts in agro-ecosystems. Over the span of 8 years, we systematically compared infestation levels of the aphid Aphis gossypii, its associated parasitoid community and overall parasitism rate between transgenic Cry1Ac + CpTI cotton and nontransgenic cotton. Furthermore, we measured the impact of transgenic Cry1Ac + CpTI cotton on structural traits and interspecies interactions within quantitative aphid–parasitoid food webs.
RESULTS
Transgenic Cry1Ac + CpTI cotton did not affect the abundance of aphids and parasitoids, or in-field parasitism rates. Despite weak interannual variability, transgenic Cry1Ac + CpTI cotton also did not alter food web architecture or biological control services.
CONCLUSIONS
Our work not only elucidates the impact of transgenic Cry1Ac + CpTI cotton on different nontarget arthropods (i.e. aphids, parasitoids, hyperparasitoids) and their associated ecosystem services or disservices, but also diversifies the ecological risk assessment toolbox for transgenic insecticidal crops.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Nicolas Desneux, Kris A.G. Wyckhuys

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
resistance to pesticides

---

Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Aphis gossypii	Cotton (Gossypium)	China (NE)
Aphelinus albipodus (parasitoid)	Aphis gossypii	Cotton (Gossypium)	China (NE)
Aphidius gifuensis (parasitoid)	Aphis gossypii	Cotton (Gossypium)	China (NE)
Binodoxys communis (parasitoid)	Aphis gossypii	Cotton (Gossypium)	China (NE)