China Looks Forward to Second Transgenic Cotton

The major challenge in the future management of the cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera, a major cotton pest, will rely heavily on the introduction of second generation transgenic cottons. This is because if Bt cotton is commercialized in the country, a key refuge for cotton bollworm will be lost and resistance to Bt cotton may evolve more rapidly. This was forwarded by Dr. Kongming Wu, entomologist, State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pest, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences in “Monitoring and management strategy for Helicoverpa armigera resistance to Bt cotton in China” published in the Journal of Invertebrate Pathology. 

The increased level of control gained by the double Bt genes currently available in the second generation Bt cotton can be valuable in delaying Bt cotton resistance evolution in cotton bollworm says Wu.

Chinese farmers use a natural refuge system for resistance management. Generally, wheat is the main host of first generation cotton bollworm larvae, while cotton, corn, peanut, vegetables and soybean are the major host plants of subsequent generations.

The article is available online at http://www.sciencedirect.com. Email Kongwing Wu at kmwu@ippcans.cn.