title: Determining the major Bt refuge crops for cotton bollworm in North China.
abstract: Evaluation of the effectiveness of refuge strategies involved in cotton bollworm Bt resistance management would be aided by technologies that allow monitoring and quantification of key factors that affect the process under field conditions. We hypothesized that characterization of stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes in adult bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) moths may aid in determining the larval host that they developed upon. We found moths reared from larvae fed on peanut, soybean or cotton, respectively, could be differentiated using isotopic analyses that also corresponded to their respective larval host origins. These techniques were then used to classify feral second-generation bollworm moths caught in Bt cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) fields into different populations based on their isotopic signatures. In 2006-2007 feral moths captured in Bt cotton fields predominantly correlated with the peanut (Arachis hypogea) having served as their larval host, indicating this is the most important refuge crop for Bt-susceptible bollworm individuals (providing 58%-64% individuals) during independent moth peaks for the second generation in North China. The remaining feral moths correlated with soybean (Glycine max) (0-10%); other C3 plant (20%-22%) and non-C3 plant (12%-14%) host types also provided some Bt-sensitive moths. Field observations showed that peanut constitutes the primary refuge crop contributing to sustaining Bt-susceptible moths dispersing into cotton in North China. These results suggest that peanut may be a more effective refuge to sustain Bt-susceptible bollworm individuals and reduce the risk of development of a Bt-resistant biotype.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing.|College of Agriculture, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin.
authors.forename: Le-Fu
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.affiliation: College of Agricultural Resource and Environment, Heilongjiang University, Harbin, China.
authors.forename: Xue
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing.
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ouyang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing.
authors.forename: Bao-Yu
authors.initials: BY
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing.
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ge
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D010367:Arachis; D002247:Carbon Isotopes / Q000032:analysis; D002681:China; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D005260:Female; D003368:Gossypium / Q000235:genetics; D060434:Herbivory; D007814:Larva / Q000737:chemistry; D009036:Moths / Q000737:chemistry; D009587:Nitrogen Isotopes / Q000032:analysis; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D011156:Population Density; D011157:Population Dynamics; D013025:Glycine max
chemical_list: D002247:Carbon Isotopes; D009587:Nitrogen Isotopes
keywords: cluster analysis; cotton bollworm; host plant; stable isotope; transgenic Bt-cotton