In “Changes in Cry1Ac Bt Transgenic Cotton in Response to Two Environmental Factors: Temperature and Insect Damage,” Olsen and colleagues of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) of Australia study how changes in temperature and degree of insect damage can contribute to Bt cotton's efficacy in the field. Their work appears in the latest issue of the Journal of Economic Entomology.
Researchers used H. armigera, a chewing insect, and the aphid Aphis gossypii, a sucking insect, to investigate how the insects could affect the crop's efficacy. They found lower levels of Bt toxin in the cotton after infestation with H. armigera, although attack by the aphid did not affect the Bt toxin levels as dramatically. They also found that cooler temperatures lowered the efficacy of Bt cotton, while plant growth at high temperature increased it.
The study could be a baseline for future research in pest resistance management, and its techniques used to monitor changes in the efficacy of biotech crops.
CSIRO is Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation. As one of the world's largest and most diverse scientific global research organisations our work touches every aspect of Australian life: from the molecules that build life to the molecules in space.
The University of Basel Uni Basel isSwitzerland's oldest, founded in 1460. Today the focal points of research and education are the life sciences (centered around the world-famous "Biozentrum") and the humanities. The student population numbers over 8000, including a large number of postdoctoral students; the total budget (excluding clinical medicine) is approx. 300 Mio$.
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