Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology, University of Delaware, 531 S. College Avenue, Newark, DE 19716-2160, USA.
J Econ Entomol. 2011 Jun;104(3):806-13. doi: 10.1603/ec10287.
The European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), is an economically important insect pest of corn, Zea mays L., in the United States and Canada. The development of genetically modified corn expressing genes derived from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) that encodes insecticidal crystalline (Cry) proteins has proven to be effective in controlling this insect. To assess the feeding behavior of neonate O. nubilalis on Bt corn, we examined differences in feeding behavior, based on presence of plant material in the gut, between Cry1Ab Bt corn and non-Bt near isoline corn for four intervals over a 48-h period. Feeding experiments revealed that there was significantly less feeding on Bt corn compared with non-Bt near isoline corn. The behavior of neonates on the plant corresponded with the differences in feeding on the two corn lines. The findings also showed that > 50% of the larvae initially left the plant before there was evidence in the gut of feeding regardless of whether the source was Bt or non-Bt corn. A higher quantity of plant material was found in the gut of larvae recovered from leaves of non-Bt compared with Bt corn. At the end of 48 h among the larvae that had left the plant, a greater proportion from Bt corn had plant material in the gut than did those from non-Bt corn.
欧洲玉米螟，Ostrinia nubilalis（Hübner）（鳞翅目：夜蛾科），是美国和加拿大玉米，Zea mays L. 的一种重要的经济昆虫害虫。表达来自苏云金芽孢杆菌（Bt）的基因的基因改良玉米，这些基因编码杀虫晶体（Cry）蛋白，已被证明在控制这种昆虫方面非常有效。为了评估新生欧洲玉米螟对 Bt 玉米的取食行为，我们在 48 小时的四个时间段内，基于肠道中是否存在植物材料，检查了 Cry1Ab Bt 玉米和非 Bt 近等基因系玉米之间取食行为的差异。取食实验表明，与非 Bt 近等基因系玉米相比，Bt 玉米上的取食明显减少。幼虫在植物上的行为与两种玉米线取食的差异相对应。研究结果还表明，无论来源是 Bt 玉米还是非 Bt 玉米，超过 50%的幼虫在肠道中出现取食迹象之前，就会先离开植物。从非 Bt 玉米叶片中回收的幼虫肠道中发现的植物材料量高于 Bt 玉米。在离开植物的幼虫中，48 小时结束时，Bt 玉米的幼虫中有更多的幼虫肠道中含有植物材料，而不是非 Bt 玉米。
