Brazil ranked second only to the United States in hectares planted to genetically modified crops in 2013. Recently corn producers in the Cerrado region reported that the control of Spodoptera frugiperda with Bt corn expressing Cry1Fa has decreased, forcing them to use chemicals to reduce the damage caused by this insect pest. A colony of S. frugiperda was established from individuals collected in 2013 from Cry1Fa corn plants (SfBt) in Brazil and shown to have at least more than ten-fold higher resistance levels compared with a susceptible colony (Sflab). Laboratory assays on corn leaves showed that in contrast to SfLab population, the SfBt larvae were able to survive by feeding on Cry1Fa corn leaves. The SfBt population was maintained without selection for eight generations and shown to maintain high levels of resistance to Cry1Fa toxin. SfBt showed higher cross-resistance to Cry1Aa than to Cry1Ab or Cry1Ac toxins. As previously reported, Cry1A toxins competed the binding of Cry1Fa to brush border membrane vesicles (BBMV) from SfLab insects, explaining cross-resistance to Cry1A toxins. In contrast Cry2A toxins did not compete Cry1Fa binding to SfLab-BBMV and no cross-resistance to Cry2A was observed, although Cry2A toxins show low toxicity to S. frugiperda. Bioassays with Cry1AbMod and Cry1AcMod show that they are highly active against both the SfLab and the SfBt populations. The bioassay data reported here show that insects collected from Cry1Fa corn in the Cerrado region were resistant to Cry1Fa suggesting that resistance contributed to field failures of Cry1Fa corn to control S. frugiperda.

Resumo -O objetivo deste trabalho foi selecionar e caracterizar estirpes nativas de Bacillus thuringiensis tóxicas a Diatraea saccharalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae). Cento e seis estirpes pertencentes ao Banco Selection and characterization of Bacillus thuringiensis efficient strains against Diatraea saccharalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae)Abstract -The objective of this work was to select and characterize native strains of Bacillus thuringiensis toxic to Diatraea saccharalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae). A hundred-and-six strains, belonging to the bank of invertebrate bacteria (Brazil), of Embrapa Genetic Resources and Biotechnology, were tested as to their toxicity to D. saccharalis, and the most toxic ones were characterized by biochemical and molecular methods. Out of the 106 tested strains, 16 caused 100% mortality within 24 hours. The three most toxic strains showed median lethal concentrations between 8 and 43 ng cm -2 . The protein profile of the 16 strains showed the presence of 130 and 65 kDa proteins, and the molecular characterization showed the presence of cry1and cry2 type genes: cry1Aa, cry1Ab, cry1Ac, and cry2Aa. The median lethal concentration of spores and crystals obtained from recombinant strains, which individually expressed the genes cry1Aa, cry1Ab, cry1Ac, and cry2Aa, varied between 222 and 610 ng cm -2 , values much higher than the ones of the most toxic native strains, which have the possibility of simultaneously expressing these genes. This result indicates a synergy between the toxins. There are interactions between B. thuringiensis toxins and their receptors in the sugarcane borer.

In 2015, Brazil was the contry with the second largest área planted with genetically modified crops getting behind the United States. In 2013, in Brazilian Cerrado region of corn producers reported that the control efficacy of Bt corn expressing the Cry1F toxin decreased significantly, forcing them to use chemicals to reduce the damage caused by S. frugiperda. A colony of S. frugiperda was established from individuals collected in 2013 from Cry1Fa corn plants (Sf1) in Braziland shown to have at least more than ten-fold higher resistance levels compared with a susceptible colony (Sflab). The Sf1 population was maintained with out selection for eight generations and shown to maintain high levels of resistance to Cry1Fa toxin. Sf1 showed higher cross-resistance to Cry1Aa than to Cry1Ab or Cry1Ac toxins. New populations were collected, three in state of Bahia and one in the same GO region. All these populations showed resistance to Cry1F toxin. The Cry1A toxins competed the binding of Cry1Fa to brush border membrane vesicles (BBMV) from SfLab insects, explaining cross-resistance to Cry1A toxins. In contrast Cry2A toxins did not compete Cry1Fa binding to SfLab -BBMV and no cross-resistance to Cry2A was observed, although Cry2A toxins show low toxicity to S.frugiperda. The study of aminopeptidase N (APN) receptors and alkaline-phosphatases (ALPs) activity shown that resistant populatinos have low activity of this enzyme, indicating this is the reason for resistance. Bioassays using the modified toxins on the N-terminal portion, as Cry1AbMod and Cry1AcMod, demonstrated that these proteins are highly active both resistant and susceptible populations. These toxins are candidates to be introduced in new corn to control S. frugiperda. Tests using biopesticides made of B. thuringiensis showed no difference between the susceptibility of resistant and susceptible populations, indicating that exist a different mode of action between protoxinas and toxins and a sinergystic action. Therefore, these products could be used to control these resistant field populations..