Transgenic approaches to western corn rootworm control

Kenneth E. Narva, Blair D. Siegfried, Nicholas P. Storer

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

30 Scopus citations

Abstract

The western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) is a significant corn pest throughout the United States corn belt. Rootworm larvae feed on corn roots causing yield losses and control expenditures that are estimated to exceed US$1 billion annually. Traditional management practices to control rootworms such as chemical insecticides or crop rotation have suffered reduced effectiveness due to the development of physiological and behavioral resistance. Transgenic maize expressing insecticidal proteins are very successful in protecting against rootworm damage and preserving corn yield potential. However, the high rate of grower adoption and early reliance on hybrids expressing a single mode of action and low-dose traits threatens the durability of commercialized transgenic rootworm technology for rootworm control. A summary of current transgenic approaches for rootworm control and the corresponding insect resistance management practices is included. An overview of potential new modes of action based on insecticidal proteins, and especially RNAi targeting mRNA coding for essential insect proteins is provided.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationAdvances in Biochemical Engineering/Biotechnology
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH
Pages135-162
Number of pages28
DOIs
StatePublished - 2013

Publication series

NameAdvances in Biochemical Engineering/Biotechnology
Volume136
ISSN (Print)0724-6145

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Biotechnology
  • Bioengineering
  • Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology

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