Sep. 19, 2013 — Like many other transgenic crops, Bt maize synthesises its own pesticide: a toxic protein produced in its leaves and stems, which kills pests in a matter of days. Perfect… Except when insect populations develop resistance to the toxin! To date, management strategies implemented to delay the evolution of resistance have been successful. Notwithstanding the success of these strategies, IRD scientists and their South African partners have now revealed that a major pest of maize, the moth Busseola fusca, has developed an unusual defense mechanism against Bt toxin in South Africa. By contrast with the usual expectations, this resistance is inherited as a dominant trait, a characteristic that may have contributed to its rapid geographical expansion. This result recently published in the journal PLoS ONE, suggests that insect resistance management should be more finely tuned to local pests and should go beyond the simple implementation of refuges for Bt-susceptible moths.
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