A laboratory colony of western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte, was selected for resistance to transgenic maize expressing the eCry3.1Ab protein. The selected colony was developed by rearing larvae on nonelite noncommercial Bt maize expressing the eCry3.1Ab protein. After four generations, selected and control colonies were screened on eCry3.1Ab-expressing and isoline maize using greenhouse experiments. There was a significant colony x maize pedigree interaction in terms of the number of larvae recovered. There was no significant difference in the number of larvae recovered from eCry3.1Ab-expressing and isoline maize for the selected colony, whereas this difference was significant for the control colony. There was not a significant colony x maize pedigree interaction in terms of root damage, or the number of beetles recovered, but the effect of maize pedigree was significant. After four and eight generations of selection, seedling bioassays were performed. Again, there was a significant colony x maize pedigree interaction in terms of the number of larvae recovered. After 11 generations of selection, larvae from the selected colony had higher LC50 values than the control colony when exposed to increasing concentrations of the eCry3.1Ab protein. The resistance ratio of the selected colony was 2.58. These data provide necessary information for understanding the potential for Bt resistance by western corn rootworm and underscores the need for insect resistance management plans for this pest.
Plants can tolerate leaf-herbivore attack through metabolic reconfigurations that allow for the rapid regrowth of lost leaves. Several studies indicate that root-attacked plants can re-allocate resources to the aboveground parts. However, the connection between tolerance and root regrowth remains poorly understood. We investigated the timing and extent of root regrowth of tolerant and susceptible lines of maize, Zea mays L. (Poaceae), attacked by the western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), in the laboratory and the field. Infested tolerant maize plants produced more root biomass and even overcompensated for the lost roots, whereas this effect was absent in susceptible lines. Furthermore, the tolerant plants slowed growth of new roots in the greenhouse and in the field 4-8 days after infestation, whereas susceptible plants slowed growth of new roots only in the field and only after 12 days of infestation. The quick response of tolerant lines may have enabled them to escape root attack by starving the herbivores and by saving resources for regrowth after the attack had ceased. We conclude that both timing and the extent of regrowth may determine plant tolerance to root herbivory.
BACKGROUND
Management of the corn pest, western corn rootworm (WCR), Diabrotica virgifera virgifera (LeConte) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), relies heavily on the planting of transgenic corn expressing toxins produced by the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). This has resulted in the evolution of resistance to all of the four commercially available Bt toxins targeting coleopteran insects. In this study, we evaluated the susceptibility of a Cry34/35Ab1‐resistant WCR colony in seedling and diet toxicity assays after removal from selection for six and nine generations. In addition, female fecundity, egg fertility, adult lifespan, larval development, and adult emergence were evaluated in two Cry34/35Ab1‐resistant and two susceptible WCR colonies to assess fitness costs.
RESULTS
Susceptibility to Cry34/35Ab1 was restored in a colony removed from selection after six and nine generations based on diet toxicity assays and comparisons of relative survival, head capsule width, and dry weight in plant assays. Thus, pronounced fitness costs associated with resistance to Cry34/35Ab1 were documented by susceptibility being restored within six generations. In separate studies evaluating specific fitness costs, larval fitness when reared on isoline corn did not differ between resistant and susceptible colonies. However, beetles from susceptible colonies lived longer than resistant beetles which resulted in females from susceptible colonies producing significantly more eggs than resistant colonies, with no differences in egg fertility.
CONCLUSIONS
The presence of a fitness cost that may contribute to the restoration of susceptibility to Bt has not been documented in other Cry3‐resistant WCR populations and could have significant impact on the deployment of resistance management practices. Published 2021. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
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