Bt Maize has no Effect on Ladybirds
March 19, 2008| |
One of the major concerns regarding genetically modified crops is their possible effects on non-target arthropods. A group of researchers from Spain monitored the effect of the Bt toxin Cry1Ab from the transgenic maize MON810 and Bt176 on the biology of the ladybird Stethorus punctillum. Ladybirds are important biological control agents of spidermites in agricultural crops.
Although the Cry1AB toxin was detected in ladybird populations, the scientists found out that neither MON810 nor Bt176 had any negative effects on S. punctillum fitness. There are no significant differences in the abundance of ladybird larvae in both transgenic and non-transgenic maize plots. Feeding trials showed that while ladybirds can process the Cry1Ab prototoxin, they lack the midgut receptors for the active toxins to bind to. Binding to the receptors in the midgut epithelial cells is a prerequisite for Cry protein toxicity.
The abstract of the paper published by the journal Transgenic Research is available at http://www.springerlink.com/content/a7wv68173353627g/fulltext.pdf
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